Instant Impressions: 'Heartbent' by Heartbent

There are few things that I enjoy more than discovering new music — whether it’s a matter of checking out a popular artist I’ve heard of but neglected to actually listen to or coming across an up and coming independent band through social media or YouTube recommendations, it’s always fun to find new favorites. As a fan of many different subgenres under the rock and metal umbrella, there will probably never be a shortage of artists to learn about, and I’m more than okay with that.

One of my more recent favorites has been the Baltimore-based emo quintet Heartbent, a group that’s very young in their career and showing a lot of promise in the releases they’ve had so far. First stepping into pop-punk territory with their Addict and Poser Party EPs in 2021, the band branched out into the realm of post-hardcore with their more recent singles “Jump Off” and “False Hope.” This heavier sound has also carried over into their debut self-titled full-length album, featuring the singles “I Swear,” “Agony,” “Take Control,” and (my personal favorite) “House of Mirrors.”

Released earlier this spring, the singles from Heartbent’s album show a step up in both songwriting and production in comparison to their previous releases, which already sets up high expectations for the rest of the tracks. Feel free to listen along as I listen through the full album from front to back and jot down the first thoughts that come to my mind below:

1. Watch You Fall (3:46)

• The piano intro already sets a darker tone in comparison to the band’s earlier stuff, and I love how the guitars sound when they first come within earshot
• Can’t get over how catchy the pre-chorus is, and Alex “Folmzz” Folmer’s screams towards the end of the section remind me of Still Searching-era Senses Fail — not sure if that was an influence, but that was the first thing that came to mind while hearing it
• Love the drums in that post-chorus and how the cymbals accent with the ends of the vocal phrases
• I said this a million times while listening to Sum 41’s new album, but I’m so glad more bands are doing guitar solos again

2. Agony (4:05)

• Out of the singles from the album that were already released beforehand, I probably listen to this one the least and end up asking why I don’t listen to it more often after each time I listen to it again
• I thought Elle Saulsbury’s vocals were great with their earlier pop-punk stuff and was curious about how her voice would sound in a heavier musical direction, and I think she sounds even better now with this style than she did with the older sound
• I wonder if these guys are into Black Veil Brides at all, because that’s the first thing I hear whenever there’s a guitar solo or even a transition like from 2:24-2:40

3. Take Control (4:08)

• Love the bass in the verses — it’s always easy for people to forget about the bass in newer music nowadays because of how downtuned some band’s guitars are, but as someone who plays bass every now and then, I always love to hear the instrument have more of a sonic presence in new music
• It’s nice to hear the range of dynamics in this song and how the verses are more subdued than the chorus — it helps the chorus sound even bigger, but it’s also cool to hear younger bands that they have more musical versatility than just being loud and in your face from start to finish
• Folmzz and Elle’s voices work so well together, and I like how this song has both a call-and-response section and harmonizing moments between the two of them

4. I Swear (4:00)

• There’s something about this song that just hits different while driving, and I don’t know how to explain it
• I really want to see this band live, because I’m sure this song is great in that setting
• The chorus is awesome, but the post-chorus/bridge is even better — probably my favorite part of the whole song

5. FF2L (2:16)

• Wasn’t expecting an instrumental, but I’m not mad at it
• Obviously the title gives off the impression that it’s musically inspired by From First to Last, but I also hear bands like Finch and Hawthorne Heights too — that might be the early 2000s emo nerd in me, but still

6. Sanctuary (4:28)

• The intro reminds me of Pierce the Veil, and just like with “Take Control,” I love the buildup from the verse to the chorus
• Speaking of the chorus, it’s already insanely hard to get that section out of my head
• This song really has it all — slow sections, upbeat parts, heavy and melodic segments, emo dudes spitting bars, awesome guitar solos, a wicked catchy chorus, I mean what more can you ask for?
• Up to this point in the album, this is my favorite track and it blows my mind that this wasn’t a single — believe me, I know you have to draw the line somewhere with how many singles you release before an album (I’m actually an advocate for NOT releasing half of an album as singles beforehand), but still

7. House of Mirrors (3:49)

• Like I said earlier, this was my favorite single of the bunch that was released before the album, so hearing this right after my favorite non-single track is just too good
• This is another strong chorus, probably my second favorite now after “Sanctuary” — love Elle’s backing vocals, and Folmzz’s screams in the second verse always hit the spot too
• When so many bands seem to choose one over the other, it’s always fun to have songs that have both guitar solos AND breakdowns

8. Good Life (4:52)

• I’m already hooked on this song just by the guitars in the intro — love the harmonization with the electrics, as well as the acoustic in the background
• I don’t know where the recent disparagement of end-of-album ballads came from, but I’ve been seeing that kind of discourse online a lot lately and it shouldn’t be applied to this song
• I would’ve been okay if it was soft and quiet the whole way through, but I love the louder section towards the end
• Definitely the best track to end the album, no complaints here

As a fan of all of Heartbent’s previous releases, I still can’t help but acknowledge how big of a step up this album is from a musical standpoint — there are still some pop-punkish sensibilities here and there, but the band really shows how musically mature they are through the course of this album while still sonically maintaining their youthful energy. The singles were a good indication of the album’s sound, and for such a young band, I’m really impressed with not just their musical prowess, but the overall sequencing of the album. The opening and closing tracks are perfectly placed, and everything in between works so well one after the other — I can’t help but feel like the lead was kind of buried with having the best tracks at the very end of the album, but that’s also just my bias towards those songs and I can totally understand why they were placed in those spots of the album when putting the whole record into context.

All in all, while Heartbent is still early in their career, I think having this debut album be self-titled was a good move because while listening through it, you can hear the band forge their sonic identity and set themselves apart from their peers from a musical standpoint. It’s really cool to hear similarities with older bands that they’re influenced by, along with hearing what they’re doing to put their own spin on that style. I’m both impressed by the evolution of their sound from single to single and hearing a culmination into the release of this album, and I’m glad I’m able to see it happen in real time and having gotten into them relatively early on instead of just catching on to them much later. To sum things up, the best is yet to come for Heartbent, and I can’t wait to see what their future holds.

Top 3 standout tracks:

• Sanctuary
• House of Mirrors
• Good Life

If you listened along and also enjoy the album, you can buy/stream Heartbent here.

To keep up with Heartbent, click here.

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