Sometimes you need to stretch out to find the path…
Released on 23 February 2018 by Double Band Records and reviewed by Stephen Brophy
If you are looking for light and fluffy then you have come to the wrong place as The Pearl Harts are definitely not about that. This duo lay down some very gritty and grimy, almost dirty blues-laden rock, almost in opposition to their song content and this creates an interesting contrast. In some ways they remind me of The Graveltones, but perhaps not as brash and aggressive. It’s not really that easy to stick a label on this band; they do their own thing and it most definitely works for them.
Both Kirsty and Sara’s vocals, in the main, fall into the rock genre. There’s certainly an edge here not present with most bands. Generally, it isn’t angst but you do get the impression that these girls have many more stories to tell and they won’t all be happy ones. But music doesn’t have to always be bouncy. That doesn’t mean to say that it’s not uplifting, and I would urge people to give this album a number of listens as some of the songs, though not necessarily immediate, are bloody good. There is nothing staid or static here as each song is put together in its own way to tell a different story.
This album seems to have been a long time coming, but maybe that’s just because many have been eager to hear the finished product. Highlights are ‘Skeleton Made Of Diamonds’ which is pretty much a straightforward rock track which has a great vibe to it. ‘Hit The Bottle’ is a much more punchy song with a punky feel to it. As with many other places on the album the girls make really good and interesting use of loops and samples, not just throwing them in here and there for the sake of it but integrating them into the fabric of the songs. The classy closing track ‘Hurt’ builds and takes off midway through where you are expecting the guitars to be unleashed in fury to match the power of the drumming, but Kirsty shows restraint and it works really well – it’s almost releasing pain.
There will be a lot of releases this year that hold neither the poise nor the passion contained here. There is no doubt that this won’t be to everyone’s tastes but there’s no reason it shouldn’t be checked out, try something different, expand your mind a little as this could be something that grabs your attention. The Pearl Harts are just beginning on their journey. Expect it to be a long one and interesting one.
Track list:
- Black Blood
- Go Hard
- The Rush
- Lara (SL edit)
- Bonfires
- Lost In Time
- The Chief
- Skeletons Made Of Diamonds
- Hit The Bottle
- Bless You
- Living’s Done
- Hurt
