Playlist: HITS magazine

To celebrate the release of our first print issues, here's a playlist featuring all artists involved.

HITS x Berlin

We hosted our very first live gig in Berlin - and this is what it looked like.

Cover The HITS

Our latest video series - covers performed by our favourite acts, exclusively for us.

Video Interview: Scenic Route To Alaska

Melting away in front of Stuttgart's castle, we had a chat about touring, band names, Toy Story and a lot more.

Find us on YouTube!

Visit us on the 'tubes for interviews, exclusive performances and outtakes.

Song Of The Day: "Wasted.Patient.Thinking." by ROE



Hey guys!

Okay, I need to ask you a question.

Do you ever listen to a song that is about emotions you don't even relate to, but you somehow end up feeling all the pain as if you were experiencing it yourself?

Well, it happens to me.
There have been times in which I've been sobbing because of somebody else's heartbreak and I'll gladly admit it.

Today's Song Of The Day has the same kind of effect on me and I can't wait to hear about your reactions to it.
But be warned - this track might make you feel "all the feels".


- Song Of The Day -
"Wasted.Patient.Thinking." by ROE


ROE is the moniker of Roisin Donald, a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Derry, Northern Ireland.

She describes her sound as "Grumpy Electro Pop", we describe it as "genius".

But it's not just house in the sand who is extremely excited about ROE's sound, no.
She has already played the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury 2017, Output and The Great Escape.

Her debut track "Fake Ur Death" was featured on Tom Robinson's weekly mixtape on BBC Radio 6 and has received praise from the Irish Times.

ROE followed up with "Cheek, Boy" earlier this year and took our breath away with her previous single, "Playground Fights". 


Her return with "Wasted.Patient.Thinking." couldn't be more exciting and we can't wait for you to hear it today.


The song is atmospheric and has a familiar chord progression to it, but immediately stands out due to the colourful synths. 
ROE's vocals lead you through the track and easily become the most important element, making you feel her emotions. Slight and harmonizing backing vocals underline the intense parts.

I highly recommend taking enough time to dive deep into the layered instrumention - you'll find nothing but depth and clever arrangements aplenty.

ROE's lyrics are relatable, telling the story of disappointment in love which most of us probably have experienced.
Her writing handles situations with sass and grace at the same time, making sure she gets everything off of her mind while remaining collected.

The way she delivers the emotions is so refreshing and just adds to the list of reasons why she should be on your "ones to watch" list.


Listen to "Wasted.Patient.Thinking." right here:




- buy "Wasted.Patient.Thinking." -
- stream "Wasted.Patient.Thinking." -



ROE online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram





Thank you for your visit!














Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image: ROE

Gig Photos: Jacob Whitesides at Highline Ballroom, New York City




Hey guys!

There's just something about being in a crowd of passionate music fans.

The atmosphere in the crowds is usually pretty magical, mainly because every person in the audience has at least one thing in common - the love for the music.

And I'm sure everyone reading this has experienced that feeling of waiting for your favourite band/artist to come on stage so you can dance and sing along to the music you love with a bunch of strangers around you.
It's special.

We love capturing those moments for you and are thrilled to share photos our wonderful New York based photographer Gina took recently.

Before you check out all the photos below, please take some time to learn more about photographer Gina on our about page and support her online:

Website | Twitter | Instagram

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Date: 19th January 2018
Venue: Highline Ballroom, New York City (US)

Headliner: Jacob Whitesides


Jacob Whitesides is a singer/songwriter from Nashville, US.

His sound combines multiple styles but lays heavily on the Pop side of things, creating a unique and adored sound.

Jacob is incredibly connected to his fans - on stage and online.
Using social media to grow his audience has allowed Jacob to take his music all over the world and play sold out shows in Spain, Portugal, France, the UK, Chile - just to name a few.

Spotify and Pandora listed him as one of 2016's artists to watch and the release of his album "Why?" has been well received by his loyal fanbase.

Jacob has performed on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Billboard Magazine and multiple other outlets.

He is currently on his "Sneak Peek" Tour - find all dates and tickets on his website, linked below.


Check out his latest single "Killing Me" here:




Jacob Whitesides online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram

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Enjoy the photos from the show!



































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Alright, those are the photos from the evening.
We truly hope you enjoyed the post - let us know if you've seen Jacob live before! 






Thank you for your visit!









&






Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Photography: Gina Garcia | **a ticket and photo pass have kindly been provided**

Video Of The Day: "Paradise" by George Ezra



Hey guys!

2014 was a big year for house in the sand - and it was big for music in general.
We got to watch a lot of UK based acts take over and found a lot of exciting artists.

One of them was George Ezra - the young singer/songwriter with a voice that can turn heads.

I remember having his debut album on repeat for quite a long time and whenever I hear one of his songs nowadays, I keep getting more excited for his upcoming songs.

And I'm sure I'm not alone.

And if you feel just the way I feel - I have good news for you
- he's back!
And boy, he brought some tunes!

Are you ready to hear his brand new track?


- Video Of The Day -
"Paradise" by George Ezra


George Ezra is a singer/songwriter from Bristol, UK.
His sound mixes Blues with Soul-Pop and Acoustic-Folk here and there.

George studied at the Institute of Modern Music in Bristol and has been making music for a while.

In 2012, he played BBC Introducing, after his song "Angry Hill" was picked by BBC Bristol.
In 2013, George played at Glastonbury and released his debut EP "Did You Hear The Rain?" on which you can find his mega hit "Budapest".

Another EP ("Cassy O'", 2014) and a debut album ("Wanted On Voyage", 2014) later, George Ezra had made himself a name and was considered one of the most exciting newcomers.

Last year he give us a preview of the new album with his anthem "Don't Matter Now", which - along with brand new single "Paradise" - can be found on his upcoming album, "Staying At Tamara's" - out on March 23rd. 

His latest single "Paradise" greets us with an upbeat and steady drum beat and an acoustic guitar that goes straight for the dancing shoes.
Of course, George's vocals are still a highlight - the deep and bluesy voice leads us through the verse and surprises us with some high notes in the pre-chorus.

The chants in the verses and middle 8 make the song fun and give it a very carefree vibe which

"Paradise" is that kind of song that will take your Winter blues and put it away.

It's fun, it's upbeat and it's going to make you feel like it's Summer - and let's be real, we're all ready for those warmer days, aren't we?

Well, "Paradise" will take us there for a little less than four minutes, so enjoy the ride.


Watch the video for "Paradise" here:




- buy or stream "Paradise" here -



George Ezra online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram





Thank you for your visit!














Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image: George Ezra via Belle Music

Gig Photos: Terra Naomi at Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles




Hey guys!

Sometimes the year starts slowly in terms of finding gigs to photograph, but then it can explode any minute and all of a sudden you have three shows within three days.

That was the case for us last week - with LA based Melissa being the first one to kick off 2018 photo wise.
Followed shortly by Gina and then myself, so stay tuned for a gig photo overload. It's going to be fabulous.

We always get very excited when we get invited to cover shows and the first one, aka the one you're about to learn more about, was definitely the right one for us to kick the year off with.

Before you dive into the post, please take the time to learn more about photographer Melissa here and support her online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram


Alright now, let's do this!


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Date: 18th January 2018
Venue: Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles (US)

Headliner: Terra Naomi


Terra Naomi is a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles (US).

Her sound combines Folk, Indie, Pop and the classic singer/songwriter characteristics.

Her song "Say It's Possible" went viral more than 10 years ago and has allowed Terra to build a loyal fanbase.
The song was written in response to Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" and won the musician the inaugural YouTube Award for Best Music Video.
She was also invited to play Live Earth at Wembley Stadium in 2007, where she played alongside Madonna, John Legend, Foo Fighters and many more.

Her new album, which is due this Summer, was recorded with Grammy Award winning producer Tom Schick and multi-instrumentalist Joe Adamik at Wilco's studio in Chicago.

First single "Machine Age" was released just recently and was written about post-election America and the plea for peace.
The song showcases Terra's political and vulnerable writing skills, as well as her ability to come up with hauntingly beautiful melodies and authentic arrangements.


Listen to "Machine Age" here:




Terra Naomi online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram











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And that's it for now.

We hope you enjoyed the photos, for more - please follow us on Instagram.





Thank you for your visit!










&







Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Photography: Melissa Rodriguez | **a ticket and photo pass have kindly been provided**

Gig Photos: Hudson Taylor at Academy 3, Manchester




Hey guys!

If you follow me on social media, you might've seen that I was recently in the UK.

Now, whenever I'm in a cool place, I will usually say yes to any music opportunity that comes my way.

So, once I realised I would still be in town when Hudson Taylor had their show in Manchester,
I knew I wanted to be in the photo pit for it.

And it all worked out - thanks to the wonderful Kara who made it happen.

Below you'll find about a million photos from the show, just because I had so much fun photographing the band and ended up with way too many photos.

I hope you'll enjoy!


If you feel like saying hi to me online, here are my links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram


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Date: 21st January 2018
Venue: Academy 3, Manchester (UK)

Support Act: Little Hours


John of Little Hours can be found playing with a band, but played the support slot by himself.

Now, when a solo act enters the stage, there are two possibilites how the evening will go - it can either be difficult for them to entertain a sold out venue with people talking over their music, or they will completely win over the crowd within seconds.

John did the latter.
I was sharing the photo pit with two fantastic ladies (#girlpower) and I think I can speak for all of us, when I say that we felt a little awkward because you could hear the noise our cameras made - that's how quiet it was.

The crowd was listening to every word and every chord and was especially attentive when he spoke about mental health and how a friend suffering from mental health issues inspired one of his songs.

It's absolutely amazing to see artists use their platform (in this case, the stage) to talk about important issues.

If you are looking for deep and personal music, let Litte Hours be your new discovery.
You won't regret it.






Little Hours online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram
















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Headliner: Hudson Taylor


As soon as Hudson Taylor and their incredible live band stepped on stage, the crowd was on fire.
The crowd that had just been so quiet watching the support act, was now singing along to every word and danced their feet off.

Whilst in the pit, I wasn't sure who was louder - the amps and mics or the crowd behind me.
Manchester's Hudson Taylor fans definitely showed off their singing skills and it felt like they were a part of the band.

The musicians made sure to incorporate multiple elements, including an acoustic performance of a new song called "One In A Million", which sounded like something straight out of the 50s and 60s era - swinging guitars and brilliantly dramatic harmonies aplenty.

Of course you need to tip your hats to Harry and Alfie for entertaining the crowd and for writing songs that people want to hear and sing along to - but you just can't leave the venue without acknowledging their incredible band. 

Encore "Battles" showcased every member on top of their game - whether that's the howling violin played by Tadhg, the moody bass we got from Ronnie, the steady and brilliant drums played by Jonny, as well as the piano and harmonica skills Oisín showed off.

And - of course - the fabulous backing vocals performed by Manchester's finest.


If you want one piece of evidence that this gig was phenomenal, let it be the wonderful security guard who was definitely feeling the music.





Hudson Taylor online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram




























































































































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Alright, I can't believe you made it through this mountain of photos - but here you are!

Thanks for taking the time to check these out.


Were you at the show?
Let us know!


Come and say hi to house in the sand on Instagram for more.





Thank you for your visit!
















Credits // Words & Photography: Vanessa Jertschewske | **a ticket and photo pass have kindly been provided**