Heartsounds Until We Surrender

Heartsounds is yet another band in the long line of Epitaph bands that are quite liable to snap your neck in two and hand it back to you all in the name of blazing punk rock. Playing at a speed that might just destroy the sound barrier but yet somehow managing to find and keep a sense of melody, Heartsounds play like they're out to shatter the land speed record. Judging by the breathless blast of tunes on their latest album, Until We Surrender they might just do it.

Sounding something Pennywise if they were raised on modern day emo, Heartsounds plough their way through Until We Surrender like a band on a mission. In fact, this power duo play so fast and so nimbly that you're left wondering if this is the only speed they know; pedal to the metal, four to the floor, all guns ablazing. Thankfully, when the band are able to ease the throttle back a bit on a song like, "10,000," they prove a) that they breath oxygen and b) can play songs a speed in which your brain can process what it's hearing. For the most part though, Heartsounds flies through Until We Surrenderas if they're on the run and what's truly amazing about that is that despite it's quickness the songs that this duo come up with never suffer. There buried amongst the speedometer are soaringly sappy songs that are drenched in massive boy / girl harmonies and riffs that are straight out of an addiction camp.

Until We Surrender is truly a statement of intent. This is a band that seriously has no desire to slow down until they surrender or just die. How they're limbs, fingers, and voices are able to handle all this is beyond me, but they're able to create quite a melodic racket with just two members AND do one heck of a job at. This is pop punk at the speed of light and it's as dangerous as standing in front of a freight train. Your ears will strain and your brain might hurt, but after a few listens you'll come to appreciate the harmonic frenzy of Until We Surrender. Angst, frustration, and aggression aside, if pop punk can be adorable than this is about as close as you're going to get and with melodies and hooks as strong as they are here, it's easy to fall or be run over by Until We Surrender.