Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
Now onto their third album, Buffalo quartet Hearts & Hand Grenades have certainly earned their stripes and anyone who witnessed their UK tour in the Summer will attest to their feral power as a live act.
Whilst the support from Goo Goo Dolls Robby Takac has opened doors, the band have been sure footed in their climb, their material and commitment proving a winning formula, this new opus their finest and biggest statement yet.
With singer and bass player Stephanie Wlosinki front and centre providing a deliciously rough-edged power, guitarists Mike Bress and Kenny Blesy, along with drummer Cory Michalski all provide their own key ingredients to the Hearts & Hand Grenades mix that has undeniable force and injects visceral thrills into what they do.
As with most great rock bands, there’s a real sense of understanding dynamics here, the songs here ranging from the hard-hitting rocket rides to the grand and elegant. Perfectly illustrating this, opener and live favourite on their recent tour ‘Burn (By My Fire)’ glories in a huge riff and the sort of dynamics that Led Zeppelin captured on tracks like ‘Kashmir’.
It’s a breathtaking start and the ferocious yet melodic ‘Where I Belong’ that follows displays all four members of the outfit with their heads down in blistering style. Equally good, the brawling and street tough ‘Boom’ and the urgent bounce of ‘Silver’ impress with their spiky attitude and blazing confidence.
So far, so raucous, but the gorgeous ‘Let Me Down’ is so full of longing and twisting atmosphere that it’s impossible to not fall under its spell, Wlosinki showing a tender side to her street urchin wildness. Another facet of the band is shown in the bubblegum punk pop of ‘Better Off Alone’, their sense of being able to write something broad and accessible whilst not compromising something of great strength.
In addition, ‘I Just Want My Rock’ shows their fun side, the ability to kick back and write something that they obviously had a great time writing and recording shining through.
Despite these dips into something with a lighter touch, central to the band is their ability to rock as hard as anyone out there and it’s not a stretch to see them playing arenas with heavy duty tracks like ‘Way Down Low’, ‘Anywhere But Here’ and ‘Over Again’ filling huge spaces with beautiful, high decibel noise.
Nicely maturing and creating bigger and bigger waves, Hearts & Hand Grenades are a force to be reckoned with. Get ready for your latest addiction.
Where I Begin was produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jeremy Tabor at Triple Zero Music, and the art was created by 119 Design. Where I Begin will be released on January 26, 2024 by Eclipse Records.
Pre-order / Pre-save Where I Begin at https://bio.to/wherei
For more information about Hearts & Hand Grenades and their “Burn (By My Fire)” music video, please visit them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, and follow them on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, Tidal, or Deezer!
