beat it up: Heartbeater

"i will lead you astray, when youre tired of straight lines"

these are the kind of tempting lyrics you get from Heartbeater, 3-piece (now 4) rocknroll band straight outta Cashville, TN. they recently released their 1st self-titled ep on Meltface Music, which was recorded @ the glorious Toy Box Studio.

(studio pic: frontman greg mabry)

Heartbeater offers a solid sound on the 4-song record; permeated w/ thick bass lines, driving rhythms, layered guitar solos, & canopied in hazy reverb flowing from vintage tube amps. lead singer mabry pens crafty lyrics w/ memorable melodies, leaving remnants of songs stuck in your head for days.

after a couple listens you can start to pick out a subtle but potent concoction of influences: 1 part nirvana, 2 parts pixies, 1 part stooges, & a dash of black lips. that being said, they dont truly resemble these predecessors outright. instead, they blend sounds & ideas of the aforementioned groups to coin their own style of punk, surf, & garage rock.

the 3rd track "lead you astray" is the slowest song on the ep & my personal fave. it starts to build around 1:35, where a cello & electric guitar feedback swells into a huge sound bubble, then bursts, resulting in the heaviest jam on the album.

mp3 --> heartbeater - lead you astray

you can purchase a physical copy of the album (limited-edition, hand block-printed) for $5, or download it digitally for free on their Band Camp page.

• greg & i formed the band DANG! the last year i lived in TN. you can download the 3-song ep we recorded HERE
• greg has been known to drink copious amts of whiskey in parking lots before shows, & play shirtless wearing a massive golden eagle necklace