I’m not sure if another opener to a piece of music has evoked such a visceral reaction from me before. “DigitalLung.exe” is the first track on the new EP Internet Breath by Hey, Ily, the band on Lonely Ghost Records who combine influences of “Nintendocore, Emo, Powerpop, Shoegaze” into music that sounds like nothing else. It gave me chills.

I only recently got into 8-bit music, thanks to TikTok sensation Penelope Scott (especially her hypnotic song “Feel Better“), but Hey, Ily take it to the next level. I imagine that “DigitalLung.exe” sounds like what scrolling the internet while tripping on acid would feel like — or at least I hope it would feel this ecstatic and overstimulating. Midwest emo riffs against cyberspacey synths is something I never knew I needed. The screams, too, are absolutely perfect, especially in contrast to the catchy power pop chorus. It all fits together so well. “Behave Like Tundra” is another highlight for me; I can only describe it as a screamo song underwater.

With 100 gecs and hyperpop in general becoming massive forces in music right now, it’s hard to pull off an internet aesthetic like this without sounding derivative. Still, I don’t think anyone is doing what Hey, Ily are doing right now. This is their second EP, following February’s debut. If, like me, you missed that release, Internet Breath is an awesome door to go through to immediately fall in love with this band. Stream the full EP below.