I missed this one (shoulda been paying attention here), but better late than never when there are MP3s to give out: Back in January, NYC band The Naked Hearts released their debut EP, “These Knees.” It was just a year before that they were playing their first shows, and I was very impressed (hey, I just noticed that a quote from that writeup made it into their press release!) Now, with a good number of shows under their belt and more on the way, their officially recorded and released output sounds fantastic! The album kicks off strong with “Cat & Mouse” – Amy’s vocals leading the way with Noah’s following behind, until they meet up and harmonize over shimmering guitar strums.
“Call Me” has been a standout track since it first popped up online some time ago, and it segues nicely into the rest of the album. I only have two wishes for this: that they’d included a new version of near-perfect tune “Like I Do” (check it out live on video) and that we didn’t have to wait until the final track to learn that Noah can kick off a song just as well as his bandmate, as they reverse their lead/backing duties on the closer, “Crashing Horses.”
Naked Hearts have a few shows coming up (listed after the jump, with another MP3), though I’d love to see a full tour scheduled this summer.
03/27 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
04/09 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
04/16 Los Angeles, CA @ Silverlake Lounge
04/28 Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands (Black Majik Tuesdays)
Get These Knees on vinyl (with download!) at Insound.
In sort of related Brooklyn music news (Naked Hearts will forever be connected to this band in my mind because I first saw them on a show together), SANYC has the news that Forest Fire signed to the European label talitres (also home to Scary Mansion, which makes sense) and will be releasing the mesmerizing Survivor with them over there on April 27. I’m tempted to go on a tangent that would likely spiral off to include Sharon Van Etten, the Antlers, Balthrop, Alabama, and Rocketship Park, but I’m holding it back this time (though I have numerous bits to say about each of those, which I’ll get to eventually)!
