“New Forms Now” The Mystery Of Hyd’s Pop Futurism

Anyone who’s followed PC Music since their early days might remember the mysterious QT, the human embodiment of a fizzy drink that baffled everyone, from music critics to then-sponsor Red Bull. You can hear producers SOPHIE and A. G. Cook’s distinctive stylistic hallmarks: bright, bubbly synths, the disturbingly twee vocals, the lyrics that toed the line between innocent pop fun and shameless advertising. It was Hayden Dunham, however, who invented the concept and came to embody QT in its human form. Sadly, QT never progressed much further than the first song, and has now been left to the vestiges of the label’s lore. 

Dunham wasn’t done, though. After a brief stint working as an artist with a few exhibitions under their belt, they surprised fans by returning to music as Hyd, releasing their self-titled EP earlier this month.

Clash spoke with Hayden Dunham over email to try and find out more about their latest project. And it’s important to note: we did try.

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Who is Hyd?

If you add chlorophyll to lighter fluid you will find Hyd.

What have you been up to in your hiatus? Do you think it’s shaped your current musical process?

I have been mostly sitting in mud. Wiping it off getting back in. Waiting to be ready to push through the surface. A tiny seed in deep soil. Germinating in a milk bath of tears and sulfur…and…. finally ready for your ears.

You originated QT, one of the first products of PC Music; the label has since gone on to influence what we now might term ‘hyperpop’. How do you feel about how the goals of PC Music have evolved since its inception? How would you define ‘hyperpop’?

It’s true that I love exploding containers. When something can’t be held by a word because it will continue pushing past it. It’s a material that moves beyond the lines of itself. Remaking itself new over and over again.

Where do you think the future of pop is headed now?

Pop is a catalyst. It circulates messages on a global scale. Gear shifting. World building. New forms now.

You’re just released your new EP, ‘Hyd’. How did your approach to this EP differ from your work as QT, and what would you want people to take away from it?

QT is a frequency. Hyd is a flame. The EP is an invitation.

Finally, is there anything you can tell us about any upcoming projects?

Secrets surfacing soon.

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Hyd’s self-titled EP is out now.

Words: Alex Rigotti / @alex_rigatoni

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