  The production of $\eta^{(\prime)}\pi$ pairs constitutes one of the golden
channels to search for hybrid exotics, with explicit gluonic degrees of
freedom. Understanding the dynamics and backgrounds associated to
$\eta^{(\prime)}\pi$ production above the resonance region is required to
impose additional constraints to the resonance extraction. We consider the
reaction $\pi^-p\to \eta^{(\prime)} \pi^- \,p$ measured by COMPASS. We show
that the data in $2.4 < m_{\eta^{(\prime)}\pi} < 3.0$ GeV can be described by
amplitudes based on double-Regge exchanges. The angular distribution of the
meson pairs, in particular in the $\eta' \pi$ channel, can be attributed to
flavor singlet exchanges, suggesting the presence of a large gluon content that
couples strongly to the produced mesons.
