Black Heart Breakers – “S/T”

Black Heart Breakers are a band from Sydney who proudly state that they “Care for Rock n’ Roll” and perfectly describe themselves as the bastard child of Power Pop and Punk Rock n’ Roll. Hopefully, with the likes of The Cry! (See our review of their album here……), they will help to create a new and upcoming scene. This album is delivered with the promise of an unstoppable lust for rock n’ roll.
That lust is clearly evident from the off, with “Your Hearts Running Wild” being a great punk pop song with some nice handclaps to give it a bit of a seventies Glam feel. Given it’s title, there is no surprise that “ I Wanna Be Wanted” adds some more pop into the mix to make it reminiscent of a Cheap Trick song, which has to be a good thing! Whilst “Don’t Worry about Me” is a fun time rock n’ roll song, which has a rawness and youthfulness about it which is really appealing.

The punk feel is back with “X Heart” but it has more of a ‘trashy’ sound, which will have you thinking about bands such as The Loyalties. Likewise, “Pretender” is all about the punk energy but with a little extra sweetness in the scuzzy melody. There are a number of songs like this on the album, including “What Hurts The Most” and “Outta My Mind” which see the band come across like the Ramones’ snotty little brothers.

“We Don’t Have To Be Lonely “ opens up with some great Spector esque beats and handclaps. It’s seventies punk pop feel will have people in the know thinking of the great, and recently reformed, Last Great Dreamers. Then on “Waiting For Somebody” they show the ability to hold back on the scuzz to give a simpler, T Rex esque glam stomper. The band really go out with a bang on final track, “Seventeen”. It is again a Ramonesy sounding rock n roll track, which is full of swagger and attitude.

This isn’t a spectacularly ground breaking album, but more importantly, it is a great slice of punk pop, rock n’ roll. Don’t go thinking it’s punk pop in a Blink 182 way, instead it’s proper punk rock songs filled with a little sleazy, glam influence. Black Heart Breakers won’t change the world with this release. Hopefully, however, they can introduce a whole new generation of fans to the world of punk n’ roll. The band have created a rock n roll album which is played with a sense of passion but also, importantly, fun. Sometimes, all you want to do is have a good time and this album definitely delivers that.