Heartstrings | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 June 2014 | |||
Recorded | November 2013 | |||
Studio | Assault & Battery, London | |||
Genre | Indie rock | |||
Length | 31:26 | |||
Label | Birthday Records | |||
Producer | Catherine J. Marks, Alan Moulder | |||
Howling Bells chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Heartstrings | ||||
|
Heartstrings is the fourth studio album of London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. The album was released through Birthday Records on 2 June 2014 to generally favourable reviews. It was co-produced by Catherine J. Marks and Alan Moulder, and recorded at Assault & Battery 2, London, in November 2013.
Howling Bells, by and large, did not write for Heartstrings until more than two years following the release of their previous album, The Loudest Engine . Over that period, the band members committed themselves to other ventures. Original Howling Bells bass guitarist Brendan Picchio, left the band and was eventually replaced with Gary Daines. Furthermore, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Juanita Stein became a first-time mother after giving birth. The writing and recording process for Heartstrings was quick and was completed within the span of one month. The album bears resemblance to Howling Bells' first album Howling Bells , musically, thematically, and in the cinematic sense. The band moved on from record label Cooking Vinyl and entered an agreement with Birthday Records. Heartstrings and its accompanying singles failed to place on music charts in any nation.
To promote the album, Howling Bells performed a series of free in-store events at retail record outlets throughout the UK, which included shows at Rough Trade and Fopp Records. The band also headlined shows throughout the UK in the months surrounding the release.
Throughout the duration of time that Heartstrings was conceived and Howling Bells' last album, The Loudest Engine was released, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Juanita Stein, drummer Glenn Moule, and Juanita's brother Joel Stein took a break from the band and dedicated themselves to other projects. [1] Juanita, along with Nick Hodgson, former drummer of Kaiser Chiefs, Tom Greatorex and Danny Prescott of Black Wire, and Hodgson's wife Anna Goodall formed a band, Albert Albert. [2] [3] Joel produced an album and started a solo project titled, Glassmaps. [4] [5] Moule was credited for his work on albums for other artists. [4] [6] During this period, native Londoner Gary Daines replaced original Howling Bells bass guitarist Brendan Picchio, who left the band. [7] [8] According to Juanita, the addition of Daines brought balance to Howling Bells, whereas before she felt that the band was unsteady. [9]
The songs on Heartstrings are a culmination of all the experiences of the last decade, being on the road for years, turning away and starting families and then coming back to it. Lyrically it’s a very confident expression of where we are.
–Juanita describing songs on the album [10]
In 2012, Juanita gave birth to a baby daughter, Daisy Jean. [11] Through motherhood, she discovered that things that used to be important to her were no longer nearly as relevant as she once thought. This affected her songwriting process in a positive way as she became less self-critical. [12] During October 2013, Juanita, in a creatively inspired bout, wrote songs every day in the basement of her North London home and exchanged them back and forth amongst the other members of the band to collect ideas. [1] [8] According to Juanita, the album is filled with extreme highs and lows which resemble what the band has endured over the years. As a result, the choice of the name Heartstrings was appropriate. Juanita stated that the title means the most emotional of feelings and it seemingly captured the open and expressive nature of the album. [8]
Howling Bells sent demos out to prospective producers, one of which was Alan Moulder. At the time, Moulder was busy mixing another project, but he suggested that the band get into contact with an associate of his, Catherine J. Marks, a native Australian who moved to London and became an audio engineer for Flood and Moulder. [9] [13] The band met with her and there was an immediate connection, so they accepted her as the producer of the album. [1] In the end, Marks and Moulder came together and co-produced the album. [12] [nb 1] Shortly before the recording of Heartstrings, Marks contacted Juanita and expressed her fear that the band would not have enough time to record the album and suggested that they consider delaying it until after the new year. Howling Bells decided against this and began recording soon thereafter. [9] The band wanted to recapture the urgency that was exhibited on their first record, Howling Bells , that they felt was missing on their previous two records, Radio Wars , and The Loudest Engine. [3] Juanita credits the sound of the album to the band being comfortable and accepting of the way that they sound as a band instead of trying to sound like something that they are not, which is something that they attempted in the past. [14]
In November 2013, Howling Bells recorded Heartstrings over an eleven-day period at Assault & Battery Studios in North London. [1] The album was predominately produced by Marks but Moulder periodically came to the studio where he gave insight and perspective, and ultimately oversaw the process. [15] Members of the band stated that Marks had an immense energy about her and was very intense and enthusiastic in the studio. [9]
The piano on "Paper Heart" was played on a Grotrian-Steinweg Concert Grand Piano that was previously housed at Abbey Road Studios and was owned by English audio engineer, musician, and record producer, Alan Parsons (The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons Project). [16] Howling Bells wrote "Heartstrings" (the title track), a few years prior, but were never content with its outcome so they suspended the song's recording. It initially featured a different instrumentation and musical structure with a piano and synthesizers, along with a higher vocal register. The band substituted a guitar for the keyed instruments and took the song down an octave to make it work with the album. [17] [18]
Along with production, the album was mixed by Marks and Moulder as well. [7] It was mixed on Pro Tools with a Chandler Limited 16 x 2 Mini Rack Mixer and ran through an EQ, as well as a compressor. [13] The album was mastered by John Davis at Metropolis Studios in London. [19] Two of Juanita's Albert Albert bandmates, Hodgson and Greatorex, played a part in the overall production of Heartstrings. Hodgson founded the small, independent record label, Birthday Records, and signed Howling Bells to it after the band parted ways with previous record label Cooking Vinyl. [1] [20] Greatorex was responsible for the art design of the album. [7] Juanita was responsible for the photography on the album, which was taken at Clissold Park, near her home. [7] [21] Howling Bells referenced movie posters from the 1970s, including the film, Badlands , for the artwork on the album. [22]
Howling Bells released each of the singles from Heartstrings on the band's SoundCloud page two months prior to the respective release of each single. [1] [23] [24] The lead single issued from the album was "Slowburn" (April 2014). Juanita stated that the songs' lyrics are very personal to her. She declared that everything regarding herself happens slow and late. This impelled her to refer to herself as a late bloomer, or in her words a "slow-burner". [8] In a review for NME , music journalist Mark Beaumont, appreciated the dark, sulky sound of the track. He went on to call it "a moody, magnificent slab of gnarly coyote rock." [25] [26] The week of its physical release, Drowned in Sound named the track as their "Single of the Week". [27] The accompanying music video was directed by Lexi Kiddo in March 2014. [28] The second single released from Heartstrings was "Your Love" (June 2014). The lyrics for the single evoke the forsaken state of heartbreak and how a person in that situation will embrace anything that may restore the relationship. [17] The accompanying music video was directed by Giorgio Testi for Pulse Films. [29] One month after the official release of "Your Love", Joel, under his Glassmaps project, released an electronic remix of the single. An accompanying video was created by Josh Williams at Howl Films. [30] The album's third released single was "Original Sin" (October 2014). The accompanying music video was directed by Anselm Belser. [31]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 69/100 [32] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
DIY | [33] |
Drowned in Sound | [34] |
Goldmine | (favourable) [35] |
Mojo | [36] |
musicOMH | [37] |
NME | [38] |
Q | (mixed) [39] |
Rolling Stone Australia | [40] |
The Skinny | [41] |
Uncut | [42] |
Heartstrings was released worldwide as a download on 2 June 2014. That same day, CD and LP releases of the album were offered in the United Kingdom and France, followed by physical releases in additional countries within the next week. [43] The day of the release, the band played a free show at retail outlet Rough Trade, in London, on the day of the release. [44] They played additional free in-store shows in the days that followed, which included shows at Fopp Records. [45] [22] Howling Bells headlined shows throughout the UK in May and June. They played V Festival in the UK in August and returned to Australia to tour there and in New Zealand in September. [22]
Heartstrings received generally mixed to favourable reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 10 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [32] At AnyDecentMusic?, which assigns an averaged rating out of 10 to reviews from music critics, the album received an average score of 6.6, based on 15 reviews. [46] Luke McNaney of The Music Fix, rated the album 8/10 and referred to the band as "louder and more intimate than ever...eight years on [Howling Bells] still deserve to be considered a serious proposition." [47] Benjamin Hiorns of Subba-Cultcha, rated the album 8/10 and called it "pure sex" and regarded it as the bands' best album since their debut, Howling Bells . He likened the album's opening riff on "Paris" to that of something that resembled "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd, and declared "Euphoria", as "a song Roy Orbison would have been proud to call his own". [48] Lisa–Marie Ferla of The Arts Desk, rated the album 4/5 and professed that "Heartstrings" (the title track) "is easily one of the most beautiful things the band has ever done". [21] Billy Withers of Rockfreaks, rated the album 9/10 was overly impressed with how diverse the album is and how reinvigorated that the band sounds. The only track from the album that he somewhat disliked was "Your Love", which he labeled as "too cheery". [49]
Michael Dwyer of Rolling Stone Australia, rated the album 2.5/5 and asserted that Heartstrings is not the album that will garner people's attention. [40] Stu Lewis of The Skinny, rated the album 2/5 and stated that after the opening three tracks the album becomes "listless and repetitive". He went on to say, "It's all perfectly pleasant, but pleasant just isn't enough to demand repeated listening". [41] Alex Jackson of Shout 4 Music, gave the album 7/10 but said that the record is "at times ragged...a little all over the place". [50] Charlee Redman of mxdwn, is another critic that liked the album, but referred to both "Your Love" and "Heartstrings" (the title track), as "calm ballads that border on sappy". Redman concluded his review by saying, "While Heartstrings shows they still have some work to do, Howling Bells will certainly be a band to watch". [51] Matthew Davies of DIY, felt that the first half of the album is exhausting, and that the second half is disappointingly unexciting. He also added, "[Howling Bells] are still seductive, fiery and invigorating, but oddly with age there seems to be chinks of weakness in their tenderness". [33]
All lyrics are written by Juanita Stein except where shown [nb 2]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Paris" | 3:54 | |
2. | "Possessed" | 1:49 | |
3. | "Your Love" | 3:34 | |
4. | "Slowburn" | 2:32 | |
5. | "Tornado" | Peter Stein [10] | 3:00 |
6. | "Euphoria" | 3:06 | |
7. | "Paper Heart" | 3:25 | |
8. | "Original Sin" | Juanita Stein, Joel Stein | 3:12 |
9. | "Reverie" | 2:58 | |
10. | "Heartstrings" | 3:56 | |
Total length: | 31:26 |
Howling Bells members [7]
| Production
|
Region | Date (2014) | Label | Format | Catalogue No. | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Worldwide | 2 June | Birthday Records | Download | N/A | [53] |
UK | CD | BR0006 | [54] | ||
LP | BRLP0006 | [55] | |||
France | [56] | ||||
CD | BR0006 | [57] | |||
Australia | 6 June | [58] | |||
LP | BRLP0006 | [58] | |||
New Zealand | [59] | ||||
CD | BR0006 | [60] | |||
Germany | [61] | ||||
LP | BRLP0006 | [62] | |||
N. America | 10 June | [46] | |||
CD | BR0006 | [46] |
Blondie is an American rock band founded in 1974 in New York City by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York City.
Bernard Joseph Butler is a British musician and record producer. He is best known as guitarist with Suede, until his departure in 1994. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation; BBC journalist Mark Savage called him "one of Britain's most original and influential guitarists". He was voted the 24th greatest guitarist of the last 30 years in a national 2010 BBC poll and is often seen performing with a 1961 cherry red Gibson ES-355 TD SV with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece.
Bloc Party are an English rock band that was formed in London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack. They are joined in the band's current iteration by Louise Bartle and touring bassist Harry Deacon. Former members Matt Tong, Gordon Moakes and Justin Harris left the band in 2013, 2015 and 2023 respectively. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music.
Swervedriver are an English alternative rock band formed in Oxford in 1989 around core members Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge. Between 1989 and 1998, the band released four studio albums and numerous EPs and singles despite a considerable flux of members, managers, and record labels. By 1993 the band's lineup had settled with Franklin on vocals/guitar, Hartridge on guitar, Jez Hindmarsh on drums, and Steve George on bass. They had emerged with a heavier rock sound than their shoegaze contemporaries, and over the next five years it evolved to include elements of psychedelia, classic pop, and indie rock.
Mogwai are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite, Barry Burns, Dominic Aitchison, and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwai typically compose lengthy guitar-based instrumental pieces that feature dynamic contrast, melodic bass guitar lines, and heavy use of distortion and effects.
Alan Moulder is an English record producer, mixing engineer, and audio engineer.
¡Forward, Russia! are an English rock band from Leeds, active between 2004 and 2008, before re-forming in 2013. The band's debut album, Give Me a Wall, was released in 2006. Until 2006, the band only named tracks with numbers, in the order that they were written. The band had used faux Cyrillic, with its name occasionally typeset as ¡FФЯWДЯD, RUSSIД!. The band went on hiatus after the release of their second album, Life Processes, in 2008. They re-formed in 2013 for a show at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds in November 2013 for its 10th anniversary, and then played the Live at Leeds Festival at Leeds Town Hall in 2014.
Howling Bells are an Australian indie rock band that formed in London in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album. The lineup consists of Juanita Stein, Glenn Moule (drums), Juanita's brother Joel Stein, and Gary Daines.
Howling Bells is the self-titled debut album of London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. The album was released through Bella Union in the United Kingdom on 8 May 2006. It was produced, engineered and mixed by Ken Nelson and was recorded at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool, in early 2005.
The Ramones were an American punk rock band from New York City. Their discography consists of fourteen studio albums, ten live albums, sixteen compilation albums, seventy-one singles, thirty-two music videos and ten films. The band formed in early 1974, and upon signing with Seymour Stein of Sire Records, the Ramones released their self-titled debut album on April 23, 1976. Despite the recording process only taking a week and being on a budget of $6,400, the album has since become their most accoladed and iconic release. 1977's Leave Home was the band's follow up album, released less than a year later, also through Sire. While it was the first album to chart in the United Kingdom, it did not chart as well in the United States as Ramones, nor their third record, Rocket to Russia, which was released in late 1977. Road to Ruin was the band's fourth studio album and their first to feature a change in the band member line-up, with drummer Marky Ramone replacing Tommy Ramone.
Foals, stylised as FOALS, are a British rock band formed in Oxford in 2005. The band's current line-up consists of Greek-born lead vocalist and guitarist Yannis Philippakis, drummer and percussionist Jack Bevan, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Smith and bassist Walter Gervers. They are currently signed to Warner Records, and have released seven studio albums to date: Antidotes (2008), Total Life Forever (2010), Holy Fire (2013), What Went Down (2015), and Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 & 2 (2019) and their most recent, Life Is Yours (2022). They have also released one video album, six extended plays and thirty-five singles.
The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, by lead vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint Phonogenic and released their first album The Script in August 2008, preceded by the debut single "We Cry" as well as other singles such as "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", "Breakeven" and "Before the Worst". The album peaked at number one in both Ireland and the UK. Their next three albums, Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012) and No Sound Without Silence (2014), all topped the album charts in Ireland and the UK, while Science & Faith reached number two in Australia and number three in the United States. Some of the hit singles from the albums include "For the First Time", "Nothing", "Hall of Fame" and "Superheroes". The band's fifth studio album, Freedom Child, was released on 1 September 2017, and features the UK Top 20 single "Rain". Their sixth studio album, Sunsets & Full Moons, was released on 8 November 2019, and features the single "The Last Time". A Greatest Hits album was released on 1 October 2021.
Waikiki were a rock group from Sydney, Australia, consisting of sister and brother Juanita Stein (bass/vocals) and Joel Stein (guitar/vocals), and Glenn Moule (drums) and Jimmy Brandon (guitar). A new bass player Brendan Picchio joined the band in early 2003, replacing Brandon, with Juanita Stein moving from bass to rhythm guitar. In August 2003, Joel Stein explained the impact Picchio had made on the group. He told Radio Adelaide's Hermione Gilchrist that the new bassist was "the missing piece to the puzzle", adding, "he's what we've been looking for since we started."
Radio Wars is the second studio album by London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. It was released through Independiente in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2009 to mixed reviews. Recorded at four different studios, it was produced by Dan Grech-Marguerat except one track by Howling Bells.
Juanita Stein is lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in indie rock band Howling Bells. She has younger twin brothers Joel and Ari. Joel Stein is lead guitarist in Howling Bells.
The discography of Howling Bells, a London-based Australian indie rock band, consists of four studio albums, three extended plays, twelve singles, and thirteen music videos. Formed in Sydney in 2004, the group consists of Juanita Stein, Glenn Moule (drums), Juanita's brother Joel Stein, and Gary Daines. Original Howling Bells bass guitarist, Brendan Picchio, left the band in December 2011.
Frankie & The Heartstrings are a Sunderland-based indie rock band formed in 2008. The band's debut album, Hunger was released on 21 February 2011, and debuted at No. 32 on the UK albums chart. Known for their partying, they were labelled as the indie Mötley Crüe.
The Loudest Engine is the third studio album of London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. The album was released through Cooking Vinyl on 9 September 2011 to mostly positive reviews. It was produced by Mark Stoermer and recorded at Battle Born Studios, in Las Vegas from September to October 2010.
As It Is are a British-American rock band based in Brighton, England. The band was formed in 2012, and signed to Fearless Records in 2014. The group consists of lead vocalist Patty Walters and lead guitarist Ronnie Ish.
Catherine J Marks is a record producer, mixing engineer and audio engineer. She has worked with such artists as boygenius, Foals, Manchester Orchestra, The Killers, Local Natives, Wolf Alice, Beware of Darkness, The Big Moon, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Amazons, Palace, Arno, Howling Bells, Sunset Sons, Alanis Morissette, Divorce, Oscar Lang and Eliza Shaddad.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)