In a house in the woods about 40 miles west of Cleveland, Hooked Like Helen began as the musical brainstorms of husband-and-wife, Jon and Nikki Stipp.
Experimental home recordings quickly developed into an
alt-pop vision; within a year of the project's inception,
Nikki and Jon had shaped a new sound that reflected
their truth and their influences in a seamless blend of
organic and electronic production. The band recently
released a five song EP 'Tragedy Of Physics',
co-produced by Nikki and long-time friend and
collaborator, Grammy-winning lsha Erskine. The EP
boasts several singles: The music video for the
angsty-beautiful piano ballad 'Liar ' was premiered on
Radio Disney and was released Oct 4th as part of the
soundtrack for the movie High Strung: Free Dance
starring Thomas Doherty (Disney's Descendants 2 and 3).
'Liar ' is featured prominently in a ballet dance sequence
in the film, choreographed by Tyce Diorio (So You Think
You Can Dance.) Track 2 from the Tragedy Of Physics EFI
'No Turning Back ' premiered on CLASH Magazine who
praised it as "a soaring, vastly uplifting piece of bouncy,
addictive alt-pop". The song was then used in the official
movie trailer for High Strung: Free Dance, making it the
5th song in total that Nikki and Jon wrote or co-wrote to
be included on the film's soundtrack. The band's single
'Fear This Place Apart ' premiered on the highly inHuentia
UK-based I'he Line Of Best Fit ' and received rave reviews
from the publication. Previously, the band had music
placed on MTV's Unlocking The Truth and included in the
shows ofhcial Spotify playlist. Hooked Like Helen is now
preparing for a mini-tour this November, with Jeff Martin
(Trevor Hall Band) joining them on drums. The band's
kick-off show will be at The Study in Hollywood on the
22nd. Hooked Like Helen's sound embodies a unique vein
of pop music; Nikki's haunting, layered harmonies and
lush vocal arrangements create a surreal atmosphere of
simultaneous melancholy and hope, dissonance and
resolve. Dark lyrics and themes of existential pondering
provide an eerie contrast to HLH's melodic sensibilities.
Piano hooks, intricate, rhythmic bass lines, and epic,
driving drums carry the songs of Hooked Like Helen
through a slightly sad world view, always with a groove
and a constant sense of Pop.