I Heart Hiroshima

When I was asked to name a lesser-known Brisbane band, my first thought was I Heart Hiroshima. This was despite having never seen them live and not really knowing what they sounded like (I’d heard them, but mustn't have paid attention). Clearly they were doing something right on the promotion side of things. Well now I have given them a proper listen and there's certainly no way they’ll be escaping my consciousness any time soon. I recently invested in their debut album, Tuff Teef, and it was one of the most satisfying purchases I’ve made in a long time. At first I was a little put off by the rough edges and raw sound, but this was quickly outweighed by how immersed I became in the energy they create. Their lack of a bass player is often cited as central to their sound, but to be honest, I can barely notice it. For me, the overwhelming factor that defines them is the vocals. To give a rather crude explanation, it’s pretty much two guys and a girl taking turns at yelling at you. In writing, it sounds rather unappealing, but when you hear them and really get to know their music, you’ll understand why I consider it to be a positive. They've found the perfect level of 'in your face' that makes you sit up and pay attention without it getting on your nerves. I must admit that after a good 15 listens in two weeks, it is beginning to wear away at me, but in moderation, this is music to hold dear. I’m really surprised that more wasn’t made of this album, because it’s probably one of the best to come out of Australia this year. I can’t wait to see them live.

Punks – The first three songs on this album are especially strong and of them all, this would have to take the cake. The drums give it a real sense of direction, focusing all their energy into one place. Powerful stuff.
Lungs – As an opening track, this song does the job perfectly. It introduces the softer side of their sound, gradually building the tension before breaking out into a full blown onslaught. All in all, a nice little sampling of I Heart Hiroshima.

8 comments:

Nick Fulton said...

WOW, I can't believe you only just discovered I Heart Hiroshima. They are absolutely awesome. Tuff Teef is definitely in my top 10 of 2007,
in fact several Australian and New Zealand albums dominate my top 10 this year.

Peter said...

Hah yeah. It wasn't so much that I hadn't discovered them, just that I'd never bothered to listen to them (which is worse!). It certainly is a great album. As for locals in the top ten, I can't really offer an opinion because I'm yet to think about it. I must be the only blogger that dislikes doing end of year lists. It's about time I had look back though

Nick Fulton said...

I just got others to vote for me this year. Lot's of others! It was a cool idea that really came off well. So many bands voted and it was really rewarding to get such good feedback from the people making the music we write about.

Peter said...

Nice idea. I'll be interested to see how that turns out. Looking through your blog, it becomes clear how little attention NZ bands get over here. Sure the occasional one breaks through, but so many of those I've never even heard of. So much for our close connection. I guess it's the lack of touring that does it. What's it like on your end? Do listeners mostly stick to locals or do you get the best of both worlds?

Nick Fulton said...

A lot of people don't listen to local music over here. Lot's of people are starting to use Einstein as a place to find good kiwi music, however still only about 30% of our readers are from NZ.
We are hoping to have a lot more NZ content from now on, we are getting a lot of small kiwi bands sending us stuff which is really cool.

Anonymous said...

My account on itunes is currently just, MESSED UP i don't even know, i LOVE the song lungs, could anyone get me the mp3? i will buy it as soon as i can.

Peter said...

i can help, but its kinda hard when i dont know who you are!

beforeifreeze said...

iiiiiiiii am an idiot. I didn't realize i posted as anonymous. sorry. Email me?