An Athens duo nearly quit music last year. Now, they’re back with a debut album

Last fall, Tyler Mabry and Harlow Phillips were so burned out that they pondered whether they should continue making music together — or at all.

At the time, the Duluth-raised, Athens-based pair, professionally known as the folk/emo duo Hey, Nothing, had the biggest year of their career. The period yielded a hefty touring schedule, including a headlining stint, an opening gig for rock band Cage the Elephant and debut festival performances at Chicago’s Lollapalooza and Atlanta’s Shaky Knees.

They also signed to Interscope (via a partnership with their main label, the Los Angeles-based label Music Soup).

“By the time we got back, we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was just way too much,’” Phillips said. “I think we didn’t exactly have the vocabulary to talk about that we weren’t happy.”

Following a brief hiatus from music, Hey, Nothing have returned with their major label debut album “Hound,” which dropped on Aug. 21. Next month, they’ll embark on their longest headlining tour to date. Rather than dreading it, they’re excited because they better understand who they are and the music they make.

“We’re just gonna keep doing it as long as it feels fun and exciting and creative,” Mabry said.

Harlow Phillips, left, and Tyler Mabry of the band, “Hey, nothing,” at a community building inside Bunten Road Park, Monday, August 17, 2026, in Duluth, Ga. Hey, nothing is an indie-fold and emo-fold duo. They are promoting their debut album Hound on August 21st. (Jason Getz/AJC)

It’s a poignant assertion, considering Hey, Nothing’s discography sounds like anything but fun. Since debuting as independent artists in 2021, the 21-year-olds (who met while attending Hull Middle School in Duluth) have churned out songs bathed in loneliness, abandonment and immense yearning. An exceptional example is the duo’s 2024 EP “Maine,” filled with regret over not supporting loved ones in need and being too anxious to form new connections.

Hey, Nothing’s vulnerability has seamlessly reached masses online, garnering over 600,000 followers combined on Instagram and TikTok in just five years — capturing the attention of Manchester Orchestra, the Gorillaz and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who followed them prior to assuming office.

But the weight of their increased popularity peaked shortly after performing in Europe last year. They weren’t communicating about how unhappy they were with their busy schedules. In turn, the art became a chore.

So, they went to a waterfall in Maine, a state that’s become a source of spiritual rejuvenation for the duo for its scenery and Phillips’ family connections there. They had a long and honest conversation about their feelings and musical future. The verdict? Making music together is all they’ve seen themselves doing, and they didn’t want to stop. But they desperately needed a break, especially from each other.

In the past three years, the friends hadn’t spent longer than a week apart.

“It was like we were married, but obviously no sex life and no romantic connection either,” Mabry said, motioning to Phillips. “Sorry, baby.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Phillips joked.

More seriously, Hey, Nothing was adamant about breaking a co-dependent pattern that marked the act’s inception. They took a 3-4 month break and began traveling without each other, discovering their own interests.

“I think that taking time away and proving to ourselves that we could be away from each other and that the world wouldn’t end was important,” Phillips said.

That journey helped birth “Hound,” an 11-track project that culminates in a path of trying to love viciously and ferociously — treating the Earth like wilderness, and human connections as the prey needed to survive.

The indie-rock title track, anchored by piercing guitar chords, mimics a sort of tribal chant for humanity: “be a lover, be a hound,” the duo sings in the chorus. “Seeing You” is a bluesy song that embraces the healing power of forgiveness. Still, “Hound,” continues Hey, Nothing’s artistic arc of making melancholy music.

“Walk Forever,” backed by Phillips’ somber tone, wades in the discomfort of experiencing unrequited love (“Why’d you sigh so slowly when you sit right beside me?”). “Drink Your Honey,” backed by Mabry’s aching alto, centers the heartbreak after realizing the love you give won’t ever be returned.

“It’s OK to be a sad, young American boy,” Mabry said, when pondering the theme of Hey, Nothing.

The act’s effortless sensitivity is what appealed to singer Bea Porges, a fellow Athens musician who’s featured on “Hound” track “Long Time Leaver.”

“They are some of the most vulnerable and honest songwriters while also being some of the most funny people I ever met,” she said. “Their music strikes a chord.”

Harlow Phillips, left, and Tyler Mabry of the band, “Hey, nothing,” shown at a community building inside Bunten Road Park, Monday, August 17, 2026, in Duluth, Ga. Hey, nothing is an indie-fold and emo-fold duo. They are promoting their debut album "Hound." (Jason Getz/AJC)

Regarding Hey, Nothing’s future, Phillips jokingly rambles off a list of celebrities and awards: “Billie Eilish. Grammys. Chappell Roan. Tonys.”