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.
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
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