#restless ones

The Heartless Bastards-Restless Ones

Four-piece alternative rockers, The Heartless Bastards were first after The Black Keys passed their demo onto Fat Possum Records, since those first tender steps the band have been pushing their unique slant of rock 'n' roll with relentless touring and four critically acclaimed albums, following on from the 2012's breakthrough album, Arrow and their pummeling tour schedule that went into promoting the disc, the band retreated to El Paso's renowned Sonic Ranch (the world's largest recording complex) alongside award winning producer John Congleton (St Vincent, Angel Olsen, Swans, etc) to mould and deliver the band's new album Restless Ones.

The new album sees the band develop their sound further, adding previously unheard influences into their already potent sound, whilst still retaining those all important killer hooks.

The album opens with a real statement intent in Wind Up Birds, a barrage of drums and riffs develops into a psychedelic garage blues masterpiece complete with frantic slide, lead singer, Erika Wennerstrom's glorious and distinctive heartfelt croon and an explosion of sharp, angular, serrated riffs to close the track with a flurry, as openers go it has it all, power, passion, hooks and vigour, urging the listener on. Gates Of Dawn follows with a strummed acoustic guitar and a drawled Wennerstrom vocal before the driving garage riffs crash in, twisting the track from it's humble almost 60's like beginnings into something more potent.

Further highlights include the likes of Hi-Line, a 60's/70's influenced number that wouldn't sound out of place on a best of the Faces compilation, the stunning mature ballad, Pocket Full Of Thirst, with it's pattered percussion, restrained guitars and heartfelt vocal delivery, the seductive near soul of The Fool and the album's glorious, effects laden, psychedelic indie (think Spiritualized!!) finale, Tristessa.

Rock to the wanderlust blues of Heartless Bastards' new 'Restless Ones' -- Album Review

Austin-by-way-of-Cincinnati blues rockers Heartless Bastards have released their 5th album, Restless Ones. So when the Heartless get restless, do they also get aimless, or fearless? Watch our review to find out.

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SOUNDS LIKE • Collective Soul hop in a Fleetwood Mac truck and try to outdrive The Byrds flying overhead • Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Dawes, and the Alabama Shakes take a working road trip on Interstate 10 through West Texas KEY TRACKS Gates of Dawn, Into the Light BEST LYRICS "Stars light up the summer sky / Still is the night, so restless the dawn / Oh, we swallow the rivers dry / And walk through the ancient thoughts in our minds" -- Eastern Wind "Oh I have spun out and filled myself with doubt" -- Black Cloud OVERALL RATING

Kevin: 

     Derek: 

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Heartless Bastards -- Restless Ones -- Album Review Episode #159 -- Published 6/23/15

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Restless Ones is a well-composed circus of guitars; indie-rock with its sounds aligned; all these tones unified on their search for the perfect song.

           Heartless Bastards sounds like they used to, in a way, and at the same time they don’t, as if they are all grown up now but still trying to do what they’ve always done, hoping age doesn’t matter even though deep down they’re well aware.  

           It sounds sort of similar to War on Drugs if War on Drugs were less alternative.

           “Gates of Dawn” begins with a simple acoustic guitar, and then the chorus comes and so do the drums; an electric guitar floating through the track, and the background voices are like the sound of a thunderstorm that have not quite reached you.

           “I have awoken/The footsteps sound of thunder/I’m such a heavy load/seven years of slumber” the second verse goes, and it could be a story of shit getting harder the more you push it off; about weakness at the bottom of the hill, and then the inevitable tears as you reach the top.

             “Pocket full of Thirst” is a love-song, really, though more mature than, for example “Only for You” (Arrow), with lyrics such as “set myself on fire….so you could not break me”. It’s tears in an indie-package; the kind of song for when your beloved leaves, and there you are watching her back disappear into life without you in it. It’s a rock-ballad for modern times, the drums as slow as the guitar, and it’s like love in the big city.