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Nov 12, 2014 Web Exclusive By Lauren Down

It has been two years since the slow-burning perfection of HAERTS' debut single "Wings" emerged; its elegiac vocals, wide-open spaces, and resolutely defiant surges established the template for their EP, which arrived a year later. With its four effervescent tracks characterized by subtle shifts in mood, Hemiplegia in turn seems to have acted as blueprint for the band's self-titled full-length.

Under the watchful eye of producer Jean Philip Grobler (aka St. Lucia), the German-by-way-of-Brooklyn four-piece have created a quietly complex record that not only gleams with pure euphoria but takes direct aim at an emotionally fragile core. Nini Fabi's satin vocals have the capacity to both wrap you up in their soothing tones—as is the case in heavily '80s-ballad indebted number "Call My Name" or the folk heritage of "Lights Out" —and to instil in you a sense of bombastic invincibility; album opener "Heart" is the sound of dream pop at its fiercest, whilst latest single "Giving Up" is entirely at odds with its namesake.

It's not just about Fabi's chameleon vocals though. It's about the band's interaction with the world around them—one built upon Ben Gebert's resplendent synths and mournful touches, Derek McWilliams' momentous bass hooks, Garrett Ienner's soft guitar swells, and St. Lucia's perfectly gauged arrangements. As it is with matters of the human heart, HAERTS is about the nuanced world that lies underneath the shimmering, deceptively uniform surface. (www.haertsmusic.com)

Author rating: 7/10