Hearts & Hand Grenades

An incisive American hard rock and heavy metal outfit led by bassist/vocalist Stephanie Wlosinski, Hearts & Hand Grenades first surfaced in 2012 as a sought-after cover act before staking their claim in the genre through their 2019 debut EP, Wait. Their initial full-length release, Turning to Ashes, arrived in 2021, followed later that same year by Between the Lines.

Buffalo, New York, served as the launch point when guitarist and seventh-degree black belt Mike Bress joined forces with vocalist/bassist Stephanie Wlosinski, who had trained at his dojo, to establish the group. What began as a cover band soon solidified their presence across the upstate New York circuit. The lineup also features lead guitarist Kenny Blesy alongside drummer Tom Lafferty. A pivotal 2019 opening slot for the Goo Goo Dolls at a charity event led to an introduction with the headliners’ vocalist/bassist Robby Takac, who then offered studio time. That opportunity prompted the band’s first original compositions, resulting in the July release of their hard-hitting EP Wait, whose sound echoed the force of Halestorm, Metallica, Flyleaf, and AC/DC.

Determined to record again, Hearts & Hand Grenades brought in producer Justin Rose—known for his work with the Goo Goo Dolls and James Taylor—to oversee Turning to Ashes. Although the album surfaced at the outset of 2021, the group moved swiftly into another project with Rose, yielding Between the Lines, a collection of riff-driven tracks that appeared before year’s end.