Music

The tracks are download-only and will be available on iTunes, Amazon and Napster from Monday 20 July 2009.

The band took a very experimental approach to song writing while working on the EP, acquiring random instruments and learning to play them.

"We've been huddled away in the studio for a good few months. It's just been really fun, coming in every other week and saying 'I've got this and I can play a bit of it."

Ed even learned to play the trumpet for the recordings, having initially been unable to find anyone else to do it.

"I bought myself one for Christmas. Of course, as soon as I'd learned to play it, someone else said they'd like to join the band to play it as well.

"It sounds great with two trumpet [players]. That's the horn section we said we'd like – a trombone and two trumpets."

The band cite 'These Hands' as the strongest track on the EP: "People have really been up for it."

Hhymn are also currently campaigning to play at the Green Man Festival in Wales this August. Bands register and upload a track on the festival website, and if enough fans vote for them, they get to play.

They are also currently organising tour dates to coincide with the EP's release and are looking forward to playing in London and outside Nottingham - keep an eye on the Hhymn Myspace for forthcoming announcements.

Feature from October 2008

After experiencing the madness, and monotony, of being in bands, Si Ritchie and Ed Bannard decided to settle down and get back to what's important to them - writing songs.

Ed was in Nottingham band The Lanes. They toured the UK before Ed left the band and went to live in Dublin.

Si Ritchie was in Haiku:My:IQ. They toured with the Beta Band, getting attacked by sound men in the process.

Ed explains the ethos of Hhymn:

"The whole idea of us getting together in the first place was to write a record that we could both be really proud of.

"I don't want to go back to doing toilet gigs all over the country... The beauty of the record is the important thing. Money is a bonus."

Hhymn use an array of instruments including a trombone, melodian, ukulele and a zither to make their unique sound.

Ed says it comes from the music he used to listen to growing up:

"As you get older you realise that the best stuff is grown at home, the old tunes that you never used to like... if you can get some of that out and into your music... it makes for more beauty."

The Beat

You can catch bands and artists like the one above on The Beat. The Beat is BBC Radio Nottingham's official Introducing show.

You can listen to The Beat every Saturday night from 6.00pm until 10.00pm (103.8, 95.5fm, 1584am and DAB digital radio). If you miss it you can listen again on the BBC's iPlayer.