ALBUM REVIEW: Between The Lines – Hearts & Hand Grenades
Arising from the smog riddled streets of New York, the city’s seedy sleaze infiltrates all manner of lifestyles, none less so than Buffalo four-piece HEARTS & HAND GRENADES. Stephanie Wlosinski’s battle cries and Tom Lafferty’s tribal drums mix threateningly with Kenny Blesy’s and Mike Bress’s sporadic guitar tapping as the band rally their warriors for the bloody altercation to come in Scream It Out, the opening call on their new album Between The Lines.
The American NWOCR outfit aim to tackle deep subject matters interwoven with hypnotically catchy melodies for easy digestion. Utilising the current influences of their genre siblings from SOUTH OF SALEM to TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD, the band also have the 80s hard rock scene coursing through their veins thanks to sharing the stage with and supporting fellow Buffalonians GOO GOO DOLLS.
Title track Between The Lines makes use of can’t-go-wrong METALLICA riffs coupled with off-beat ragtime drums, providing a glimmer of what’s to come on this sophomore 10-track record. The combination makes for a twisted oxymoron that toys with your emotions like a feline playing with a field mouse, which goes hand in hand with the song’s lyrical theme of media manipulation. “Searching for our lost meaning, between the lines we’re reading” begins with an anthemic chorus that reaches the heavens, and begins to fall just before reaching the pearly white gates.
Secret turns heads as it shows off its swaggering stroll, asserting its dominance. Like an imprisoned princess that’s resorted to saving herself, Beautiful Pain’s verses of sweet innocence disappear and in their place a pang of venom and rebellion takes over, the distortion in the chorus like a lightening storm amidst black clouds that roll ever closer.
Unfortunately, whilst the majority of the album offers more gems than coal, expectations rock back and forth throughout. Black Sunset and Tragedy exhibit the wearisome, monotonous pop structure and melodies that are tipped off with unimaginative guitar solos that repeat the same chorus motif. Drop-tuned guitar riffs compete for the same sound as Wlosinski’s deepened bass lines in Illogical, the differing components refusing to work in harmony and resulting in a clunky outcome. Galloping riffs are recycled throughout the whole album, the staple sound adding no variety and giving Barracuda a run for its money. The violins hidden in the background of Wait give the track a slight bit more substance and fullness, despite its suppression.
Upbeat and catchy vibes give Bad Medicine a positive and constructive viewpoint on when things don’t exactly go to plan, reminding us that there are always lessons to be learnt from every situation. Moonlight ends the record on a solemn and despairing note, the guitar work spiralling into a vortex of panic and chaos that leaves the album and you feeling used and disoriented.
Between The Lines is a boat ride down a tranquil canal into a choppy river and back again. In the moment you feared for your life but in hindsight the adrenaline kick just made you appreciate the little things in life that tad bit more. HEARTS & HAND GRENADES embody every aspect of edgy rock n’ roll, warts and all.
Rating: 6/10
Between The Lines is set for release on November 19th via Eclipse Records.
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