Heartsounds

Dualistic Nihilist (2017)

RENALDO69

Heartsounds have gone and done it again. Internal Eyes left everyone breathless, thinking that it was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication but then, along comes Dualistic Nihilist which goes and breaks the rules. Everything that came before was solid but this record's an even bigger experience that finds the band growing from strength to strength. It's just one song clocking in at under 20 minutes but it feels like a few tracks meshed into one, painting a painstaking narrative about depression and mental health.

There's no shredding solos on tap but the riffs and melodies are big, bouncy and hook you just like their previous stuff. Ben Murray and Laura Nichols are an open book in what I think are their most vulnerable lyrics to date, powering through a melodic punk spine that fans of Red City Radio and A Wilhelm Scream would love. It kicks off like a combo of those two bands and then the tempo slows a bit around the 4:30 mark. All in all, it's typical Heartsounds at their very best. The energy's there, in fact probably more than ever before. The guitars get grimier around 9:45 as the track shifts from a mid-tempo drive to something more aggressive and it's here where Nichols and drummer Trey Derbes start to unleash a bit more. Trey takes centre stage around 13:00 and after that we get Laura pounding out on the mic to a backdrop that would leave RVIVR fans in glee. Everyone comes to the fore here, including Bobby Taul on the bass, as they take you on a rollercoaster ride that never feels like a chore. This is vintage Heartsounds, once more upping the game.