San Fransisco, CA’s four-piece punk rock band Heartsounds released some of the catchiest punk rock music I have heard in the past couple years with Until We Surrender and Drifter. There’s not many bands that can make male and female vocals sound as natural as this band. The harmonies provided by Laura and Ben is something truly special in this genre. The band is taking the rest of the year on with their new full length entitled Internal Eyes. They’re still that fast punk rock band with dual vocals that their fans know and love, but this record sounds a lot bigger than anything they’ve released in the past. The record opens with “A Total Separation of Self,” grabbing your attention with some guitar feedback, followed by a punchy riff that is quickly accompanied by the drummer’s punk beat. Already, you experience the unique back and forth vocal parts and harmonies. Keeping things at a fast pace is “Cycles” – another punk rock anthem. Two songs in, the record seems extremely driven by angsty sounding guitar riffs, punk rock harmonies and aggressive drumming. The title track, “Internal Eyes,” has one of my favourite riffs on the entire album. The song is a bit more melodic than fast and it’s a change in sound, but it fits. “Can’t Always Be Looking Down” soars right back into the fast punk rock vibe and it contains some of my favourite vocals coming from Laura on the entire record.
“Where Are You?” shows off the instrumental capabilities to the fullest in the intro of the song. After the roller coaster of an intro, the track packs a punch with some very quickly exchanged, back-and-forth vocals. “Constant Crossroads” has a nostalgic feel to it. I can see this one being one of the band’s biggest tracks coming from Internal Eyes. It’s just a super fun song. “Spiraling” is short, but definitely sweet. It really makes its mark on the record.
“First Light” has more of an indie vibe when it starts. It’s really toned down compared to the rest of the record, but still feels like it fits perfectly. It’s a really interesting track coming from Heartsounds. “Afterthoughts” seems to combine the melodic and fast sides of Heartsounds into one hell of a song. This track has some very impressive drumming throughout it. Closing out Internal Eyes is “The World Up There,” which is one of the most aggressive songs on the record. I feel the band’s punk influences really come out in this song. It just feels right that the record closes as fast and aggressive as it opened. “The World Up There” is one of the highlights of this record for sure.
If you’re a fan of fast punk rock music, this record will be right up your alley. The dual vocal element that comes with Heartsounds is something pretty unique in the current scene. Internal Eyes is fast, melodic and catchy. What more could you want in a punk rock record? It is honestly the band’s best work to date and will hopefully get them the recognition they deserve. The record also features some musicianship that is nothing short of impressive. Overall, it’s one of the best punk rock records of 2013, easily.
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