Heartsounds
“Drifter”
(Epitaph)

Totally Crushed Out loves Heartsounds, if only for the reason that they’re great at playing brash, but melodic, punk rock in the vein of many those 90s bands that I wrote off because they weren’t on Lookout. Having taken a late appreciation for groups like Digger, 88 Fingers Louie and Strung Out, Heartsounds have definitely won me over with their sophomore album (and first proper one on new label Epitaph), “Drifter.”

Like its predecessor in “Until We Surrender,” singers Ben Murray and Laura Nichols trade narrative vocals about adult experiences, instead of your typical “Oh, my girlfriend dumped me at the Serramonte Mall. Sob Sob.”

On tracks like “I Have Nobody to Betray,” “Every Second Counts” and “Don’t Talk with Your Mouth Open,” Heartsounds is able to successfully translate the kind of energy that they bring to their live performance onto its album counterpart – something that usually tends to create gaps in a band’s musical consistency.

For a segment of pop-punk fans, it may take awhile to grow on this album, but make no mistake, it’s certainly solid as fuck.

— Ryan Pangilinan

Better than On Your Knees: At Our Heels Unplugs the Bright Lights of Nu-Hardcore
by Ryan Pangilinan

“I really wanted something that was just our logo and people would see it and recognize it as our thing,” said Alex Pulisci, the man behind Bay Area thrash hardcore outfit At Our Heels.

In a day when punk and its subgenres have turned into theme songs for movies and commercials (has anyone seen the Johnny Rotten butter commercial?), it’s quite refreshing to find a band like At Our Heels, a DIY group with limitless potential.

Coming from a situation with a rotating lineup, Pulisci found himself at a musical crossroads and started At Our Heels.

“We had, like, 15 different members or something,” he said. “I was doing the bulk of the writing and my writing style kind of changed, so I figured that starting a new band would be a good idea. Start fresh with new songs, a new name and new members.”

When the dust had settled, Pulisci’s project became more of a solo endeavor than anything else.

“The member situation didn’t work out so well and it ended up being just me. It ended up that it was a better way for me to work.”

Calling on friend and Heartsounds’ Ben Murray to man the drums, Pulisci wrote and recorded 2009’s self-titled seven inch (Heart in Hand Records).

Taking cues from the likes of American Nightmare, The Misfits and (early) AFI, At Our Heels’ doesn’t let up for a second and runs through six tracks in a little over seven minutes.

The band’s rampant, non-stop sound has also put them on the same bills with likeminded acts such as Trap Them, Verse, Final Fight, Lewd Acts and Pulling Teeth, to name a few.

Currently, Pulisci is splitting his time between school and a new At Our Heels full-length on Creator-Destructor, which he hopes will be finished next year.

“I’m trying to use my free time to polish up some songs…. We have three new songs that we’ve been playing live. We’re going to have a 10-13 song full length coming out,” he said.

“I’m pretty stoked on the new songs,” Pulisci added.

If their seven inch is any indication, then naysayers should take note: people may like their ‘core watered down or cut with neon colors, but for kids who still jam out to “Astro Zombies” before heading off to work or school, At Our Heels is the best band out there.

At Our Heels Myspace

Beating Heart Baby: Heartsounds Pump Blood into Punk Rock

by Ryan Pangilinan

No more than a few years ago, Bay Area metal act, Light This City, was one of the most revered underground bands out there. Their ability to find fans in hardcore kids and metal purists was not as common as in the years that passed as genre bending became the norm. When Light This City ended, drummer Ben Murray and Laura Nichol started Heartsounds, a pop-punk outfit that’s heavier on the punk and less on the pop.

“The idea to start Heartsounds came a month or two after LTC called it quits and returned home from tour,” said Murray. “Laura and I have been listening to punk rock for years and way before Light This City even started. We just happened to be fans of metal as well.”

Taking cues from bands like Strung Out and Jawbreaker, Heartsounds deftly combines melody with a punk rock sensibility. Also like those bands, Murray and Nichol don’t rely on sappy, vapid words for their lyrical inspirations.

“Laura wrote five songs lyrically, while I wrote seven,” explained Murray. “It has been a tough few years for me and a lot of the lyrical content is about the hopelessness I felt waking up every morning.

“I suffer from extreme anxiety which plagued me during Light This City…. It’s very unhealthy and writing about it was an amazing catharsis for some of these emotions and feelings.”

Working with Light This City producer, Zach Ohren, Murray and Nichol recorded their debut full-length “Until We Surrender,” which saw a release in August on Murray’s label, Creator-Destructor.

The album is non-stop from the opening chords of the artists’ call to arms, “The Song Inside Me” to the bombastic drums on “Our Last Hope,” “Until We Surrender” rarely lets up, though there are somber moments that could be found in the mix.

“The song ’10,000’ on the record is about [my dad’s diagnosis with Stage 4 brain cancer], and most of my songs’ content is influenced by that situation,” said Murray.

The bleak visuals that are the basis of Heartsounds’ lyrics contrast to the pop nature of their music, which surprisingly, has found an audience in some of Light This City’s fans.

“Tons of LTC fans have checked it out and loved it. While there are remnants of metal hidden in the record, it’s a pretty drastic change of style,” said Murray. “Needless to say, we didn’t think the reception was going to be great from Light This City fans, but we were proven wrong.”

Though the band’s shows have been regional affairs (both Murray and Nichol are in school), Heartsounds does intend to stick around and take on touring duties when their schedule allows it.

“We can’t be road warriors like we were in LTC, but I do know that both of us want to pursue this band as far as we can…. [There’s also] big news and plans in the works but you’ll just have to stay tuned,” teased Murray.

“Until We Surrender” is available through Creator-Destructor Records, as well as RevHQ.

Heartsounds Myspace