The Black Heart Procession

The origins of the Black Heart Procession trace back to late 1997 in San Diego, where the ensemble established a sound widely characterized as beautifully bleak and brooding indie rock marked by a shadowy dimension. Their lyrics consistently explore the melancholy dimensions of human experience, a focus that aligns with the five-piece group’s chosen name and its recurring subjects of isolation, depression, and heartache. Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel, both previously of Three Mile Pilot, anchor the lineup while regularly enlisting additional players on guitar, piano, percussion, and saw. This distinctive approach secured a 1998 recording contract with Cargo Records, which issued the band’s debut album, 1. Extensive touring across the United States and Europe alongside A Minor Forest preceded the 1999 release of 2 on Touch & Go Records, followed by the trilogy’s conclusion, 3, in 2000. Joe Plummer of the Magic Magicians and Modest Mouse, along with violinist Matt Resovich of the Album Leaf, joined the roster for the fourth full-length, 2002’s Amore del Tropico. The resulting cinematic collection examined themes of love and deception through an expansive blend of lounge and blues textures. In 2004 the group tempered its customary ominous presentation on In the Fishtank, Vol. 11, a collaborative effort with Dutch prog rockers Solbakken issued as part of KonKurrent’s long-running series. Bassist Jimmy LaValle, also of the Album Leaf, became a member in 2005, and the following May the band delivered The Spell, a dramatic and torrid portrait of romantic entanglement recorded and produced at the group’s own SDRL studio in San Diego. Activity subsided while members concentrated on separate endeavors, yet 2009 brought the arrival of Six. A year later the mini-album Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit appeared, consisting primarily of remixed material. Indefinite hiatus followed in 2013, with Jenkins attributing the decision to the cumulative strain of “years of touring and traveling and focusing on music.” The collective resurfaced in 2017 for a tour of Europe and North America that coincided with a deluxe reissue of their original 1998 debut album.