The Heartsounds – Until We Surrender

San Francisco duo Heartsounds made a pretty big entrance in 2009 with the release of Until We Surrender.  Their debut received major props for taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of the current scene and sliding comfortably into that classic EpiFat sound.  Earlier this year the bigwigs at Epitaph got word and jumped at the opportunity to reissue their now highly revered first effort.  Considering present-day Epitaph’s expanded pallet, the signing was comforting news for nostalgic fans of old.

But Epitaph’s interest in Heartsounds also serves as a type of formal acknowledgement of a growing underground resurgence.  In the past few months I’ve been overwhelmed by just how many bands have been getting serious and releasing formal debuts and/or definitive moments.  For example, DC Fallout, The Martyrs, IVS, Rebuke, and Chaser collectively feel as though they could have made enthusiastic appearances on critics’ highlight reels back in the mid-90’s.  On that note, Epitaph has always been a cutting edge trendsetter; so the label’s signing of Heartsounds instantly places the band affront the resurgence.  So the natural question becomes: is Heartsounds a good spokesperson to usher in the formal (read: publically recognized) return of melodic punk rock?

Well, by and large the simple answer is yes.  Heartsounds is competent beyond its rookie status with Until We Surrender introducing a nostalgic band looking forward for its bearings.  They command a modern take on blistering melodic skate punk, also drawing from recent metal-based fusions popularized by the likes of Strung Out over the last decade.  Generally tracks exist as a coherent, stratified synthesis of their parts.  There is at minimum two primary guitars, one of which uses rhythm filled riffs to fill out the soundscape, and the other, which takes the lead, soaring high overhead – as most apparent during the intro for “I Climbed For Miles.”

Speaking of soaring, bandmates Ben Murray and Laura Nichol fly high as they regularly trade off vocals in chorus and verse.  The two serve as each other’s perfect counterweight.  Their chemistry is one of best friends telling a story; one jumps in to add emphasis while the other, not to be outdone, pipes up moments later.  Their smooth, harmonious tone lends itself to some excellent layering effects, as found on “Piñata,” as well as a guiding blanket of subtle “ooohs” that drag lines into a deep, consuming abyss.

My only reserve for Heartsounds’ leadership is their fairly blanket style.  Most tracks exist around a similar range and relative middle ground.  They really only get adventurous on tracks like “Walking Dead,” where guitars intermittently retreat and fall into an abrasive recurring pattern.  Likewise, when it comes to solos, the band could learn a thing or two from punk metal maniacs IVS and pepper their tracks with some bolder, more memorable ideas.  But based on Heartsounds’ strong foundation, these will develop with time.

Since signing with Epitaph, the band has been hard at work recording their inevitable follow up.  With all the pieces already in the right place, hopefully their new effort will find the band pushing their limits and taking new risks.  It’s tough to tell which form such innovations may take, but if Heartsounds is the leader Epitaph is banking on, it’s sure to impress.