Heartsounds

Heartsounds fuse the exacting approach of their metal origins with punk rock’s tunefulness and pace, delivering fresh versions of the eighties and nineties acts that first shaped their listening habits. Guitarist-vocalists Laura Nichol and Ben Murray launched the band in San Francisco in 2009 once their prior death metal group Light This City dissolved, seeking a return to earlier influences after tiring of extreme heaviness. Their sound soon attracted Brett Gurewitz, prompting a 2010 deal with his Epitaph label, already home to respected outfits such as Hot Water Music and his own Bad Religion. The debut full-length Until We Surrender appeared shortly afterward, revealing an engaging and heartfelt approach built around the alternating vocal exchanges between Nichol and Murray. The 2011 arrival of bassist Kyle Camarillo and drummer Trey Derbes supported the more developed and technically demanding sophomore release Drifter, which displayed the musicians’ advancing command of vocal and instrumental arrangement.