Half Hearted Hero

Sometimes when you listen to a record, you can tell before learning anything else that it took a long time to make. Whether it's because the album sounds just slightly older (but not by much) than what the genre is currently producing or because it took a very long time to get to you, these albums have a specific feel and sound to them.

Of course, good things take time. It took three years for Half Hearted Hero's latest, Isn't Real, to see the light of day. Hailing from New Bedford, MA and spending over a decade in the DIY circuit there gave the five guys a lot of time to find their sound and get comfortable with it. There were some "make it or break it" points in their career, including this album, which guitarist AJ Mills comments on below:

"When we started writing 'Isn't Real,' it felt like a eulogy," Mills said about the record. "We had been struggling as a band for years and our future was up in the air. We were entering our mid twenties and starting to ask ourselves the tough questions all bands have to ask eventually, 'Is this something we can make a career out of or is this a hobby? Is this worth it?' As the writing process progressed though, that feeling started to wear off. By the time we were finishing up the final tracks in Clinton's studio, three years had passed and listening back to the mixes we were filled with renewed optimism. We still may not know the answer to to those tough questions, but we know this: 'Isn't Real' is not a eulogy. A transformation, or rebirth maybe, but not a eulogy."

Whatever it is for them, it's lovely for us. Give the album a listen below.

The Isn't Real LP is out May 27 on Animal Style Records. - Noisey

Half Hearted Hero have a number of releases under their belt, and it’s around this point that a band will either show its strength or start to whimper. I’m not sure I entirely like the direction that the band is going, but they sure as hell aren’t started to buckle at the knees. Isn’t Real is a strong album, it’s a confident work of art that shows an increased level of maturity and awareness in a genre that could see a band easily slip into the forgettable annals of music history.

While the band’s earlier work was comparable to bands like The Story So Far or The Ataris this latest release is something more akin to Jack’s Mannequin or Motion City Soundtrack. So, if you’re a fan of some of the more aggressive and technical aspects of Half Hearted Hero you might be a little disappointed with Isn’t Real, but I’d still recommend giving it a listen, as there is a lot going on beneath the surface.

What’s striking about this album is that it’s really well put together. The songs really flow together nicely, and it gives the entire thing a sort of ‘soundtrack’ quality. I’m not saying it feels like a concept album, but there is a strong sense of story across the album. It’s an underlying melancholy, this album feels a bit like a modern evolution of the music The Smiths were putting out thirty-odd years ago: emotive and poetic, but nonetheless driving. The band has certainly put aside its heavier roots in this album, but they aren’t absent. The music doesn’t exactly push or pull, but it also never lags. Rung out chords and classically influenced rock drum beats give the songs life even when the tempo is really mellow.

At the end of the day comparisons to their earlier releases, Running Water and Whatever, are going to be unavoidable, and whether that’s a positive thing or not is going to be very personal. But this is a good album, and it’s going to find them a lot of new fans. Older fans, well it’s going to be a question of taste: but bands with an evolving sound are far more interesting than those without. This might be a mellow album, but it’s a bold direction that Half Hearted Hero have taken and there is beauty in their boldness. - The Punk Archive

New Bedford, Massachusetts' Half Hearted Hero are over a decade in the game and not throwing in any towels yet. In fact, their new studio album advances from their previous pair of releases (the prog-punk laden Whatever and Running Water), and circles back to their pop-rock beginnings—only better. Somewhere between Stay What You Are and Commit This To Memory, AltPress are thrilled to premiere the band's blossoming lead single, "All Of Me." - Alternative Press