a deceptively welcoming album
a deceptively welcoming album
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Come with us on a journey, through these mountains of ice. That’s not the official tagline of the album but it bloody well could be. Hearts is an album that sounds like it was recorded in an ice cave, all echoey vocals and crystalline, chiming instruments. A cold hybrid of shoegaze and minimalist electronica Hearts is a deceptively welcoming album. At times it feels more pleasing to imagine these guys are playing icicles as opposed to instruments. It also feels decidedly one dimensional at times but if you choose to relax into it, you begin to notice the subtleties of it, and there are many.
The album takes you through a forty minute journey of simple, precise and sometimes somber pop songs, each flowing effortlessly into the other . They get by thanks to their funky basslines, which keep your blood flowing nicely throughout, without ever affecting your blood pressure too much. The drums, on the other hand, sound like they’ve been wrapped in cotton wool for fear of offending the neighbours but that’s not a bad thing here as it seems like they’re actually trying to keep things quiet. Only when you approach the end of the journey, during No Way Outro, do they begin to widen things out. The drums become more insistent, the bass comes up a notch and the song suggests you’re about to leave this sonic cave and venture out into the real world once again. Just then, as it promises you bigger and better things, it begins to fade out. Clever bastards.
This is one album worth opening your heart to. Sit back, relax and don’t forget the ice.