For much of the late 2000s and early 2010s, Uh Huh Her occupied a singular corner of alternative music. Blending shimmering synths, understated guitars and intimate songwriting, the duo quietly became one of the defining acts of the indie sleaze era, influencing artists including Metric, Dum Dum Girls and Magic Wands along the way. Now, more than a decade after the release of Nocturnes, Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey are revisiting one of their most beloved records with Nocturnes: Redux. The band is named for PJ Harvey’s classic album and somewhat serendipitously Harvey also released a new track today.
Due for release on August 7 via Kill Rock Stars, the expanded edition restores producer Tchad Blake’s original mixes for the first time, presenting the album as it was initially envisioned before revisions were made. The reissue also includes two previously unreleased recordings: the atmospheric new single ‘Shook’ and a cover of Sonic Youth’s ‘Kool Thing’.
‘Shook’, released today, captures everything that has long distinguished Uh Huh Her. Equal parts hypnotic and melancholic, the track pairs the duo’s poetic lyricism with an understated electronic pulse that feels unmistakably contemporary without abandoning the sound that first made them cult favourites.
Camila Grey says the song reflects both personal uncertainty and the wider instability of modern life.
The reunion itself has been equally organic. Having first formed in 2006 after being introduced through mutual friends, Grey and Hailey found that reconnecting creatively came with surprising ease.
“It feels like it did when we first got together,” says Hailey, whose career has extended beyond music through her acclaimed acting work in The L Word and Generation Q, as well as her bestselling memoir So Gay For You. “We’re just creative again together… it’s almost like no time has passed, and all of the pressure’s off.”
The reissue also revisits a pivotal moment in the band’s history. Originally released independently in 2011, Nocturnes was funded directly by fans through auctions of memorabilia, artwork, vinyl and even private dinners, allowing Uh Huh Her to enlist renowned producer Tchad Blake. For Nocturnes: Redux, Grey unearthed Blake’s earliest mixes, preserving the spontaneity of his original instincts.
More than simply revisiting the past, Nocturnes: Redux reconnects Uh Huh Her with the spirit that made them such an influential presence during indie music’s most fertile years. With ‘Shook’ pointing firmly towards the future, the duo’s return feels less like an exercise in nostalgia and more like the beginning of a compelling new chapter.
Stream ‘Shook’ HERE.
