Some bands seemingly go under the radar for far longer than their talent should allow. Thankfully Eternalis Records have snatched up French foursome Young Harts and thrust them into the limelight with the release of “Truth Fades.” Hailing from Clermont-Ferrand, where the woman with largest breasts in the world, Lolo Ferrari also came from apparently, the band tread that line between indie rock and punk that many try to do, but fail miserably. Here’s how it should be done.
Opening track and new single “Singled Out” perfectly defines this, with a minimalistic Strokes style riff complimenting the abrasive style of Chris’s vocals. “Figure Out This” is a punchy upbeat little number that focuses on the punkier side of their sound. They venture into folk punk territory slightly with “Rearranged” a song that brings to mind bands like Against Me! and includes a lovely bit of lead guitar work from Julien. My favourite song title on the album is “Strategy to get Beers.” An instrumental affair with a beautiful melody that you’ll be humming for weeks, but then it’s back to business with “Intern” an anthemic song that deals with the concept of freedom. Easily one of my favourite tracks on the album. A beautifully melodic intro breaks down into one of the album’s more aggressive tracks. If somebody wanted to know what indie punk should sound like, then “Breaking Season” would be the perfect introduction for them. We aren’t done with the anthems yet though as “Loyalty Through Time” a mid paced number that deals with relationships good and bad and features some more of that stellar guitar work. The album finishes off in style with “At The Browery” in what sounds like a bar room sing along that wouldn’t be out of place on a Dropkick Murphy’s album.
If you haven’t checked Young Harts out yet, then don’t sleep on them any longer. Ten tracks of the best indie punk I’ve heard in sometime, which will stand up against anything their peers can offer.