Every few years a new email client captures everyone’s attention. Yesterday HEY launched with hype, and for good reason.

HEY was created by Basecamp, the 21-year-old company led by Jason Fried and DHH. It’s the freshest take we’ve seen on email since Superhuman, but HEY isn’t just an email client, it’s an email platform. This vertical integration gives them the ability to do things others can’t.

Here are a few features you might love:

• “Imbox” screening – Only people you’ve approved get into your imbox (aka, inbox)
• File browser – Every attachment is indexed and easily searchable across email threads
• Reply later workflow – Rather than chicken peck your way to inbox zero, HEY offers a slick UX for batching replies
• Built-in spy blocker – By default, spy trackers are blocked so senders don’t know when (or where) you opened their email
• Silent by default – Push notifications are off by default to avoid repeated distractions throughout the day

Thousands of folks signed up on the waitlist for the $99/year service. But if you’re looking to explore other email tools today, here are a few other recent entrants you may not have heard of:

• Tempo takes a very minimal, zen-like approach to email
• Twobird bundles email with to do’s, reminders, and collaborative notes

But if you’re eager to claim your firstname@hey.com vanity email, check out HEY sooner than later.

P.S. If you’re curious how Basecamp built HEY (and its other products), read ShapeUp, a free book for startups and makers.