Music to Your Ears: HEartless Bastards' "Arrow"

If you are into the American rock band, The Black Keys, whose 2010 hit single "Tighten Up" graced the airwaves, then the band Heartless Bastards is for you. The band, who have just released their fourth full length effort, named "Arrow," on Tues, Feb. 14, 2012 has been recently featured on the iTunes home page. Heartless Bastards, which consists of ErikaWennerstrom (vocals and guitar), Jesse Ebaugh (bass guitar), Dave Colvin (drums), and Mark Nathan (guitar), originated from the Cincinnati, Ohio area just as fellow rockers, and Akron natives, The Black Keys. Their newest effort is their debut album for their new recording label, Partisan Records (Also home to Deer Tick, Emily Wells and Mountain Man) and produced by Jim Eno, drummer for indie rock stalwarts Spoon. Before "Arrow," the band had made three previous full length records with Fat Possum Records, who claim Wavves and Odd Future offshoot Mellowhype as part of their roster. Clearly, the band is more at home on Partisan.

The first single on "Arrow" is "Parted Ways," which was released as a teaser on December 1, 2011. On this single, Erika's sultry and rich voice floats above the rhythmic guitars at first, then picks up to serenade her listeners. The upbeat tempo makes the song easy listening and a great homage to soul searching and deep thinking; Not to mention the melodic and catchy guitar riff that accompanies Erika. On this album, the listener can feel very connected to the music because the band works together so seamlessly to create a warm, cohesive sound.

For those looking for a slower, more heartfelt love song, try "Only for You," where Erika's lyrical repetition and powerful voice sear through the slower paced background music to the forefront of the song, while maintaining an extremely soulful tone. Her struggles with the ending of a nine year relationship come through in the lyrics and the overall tone of the album as a whole, but still makes it relatable to any listener. 

The band has been recently featured in Rolling Stone numerous times, and on Nov. 17, 2011has said of their new record, "I feel like this is the strongest record I've ever done. I feel like playing with these guys, all of us being so connected, really helped make it so fully realized. I'm really, really, happy with it" in Billboard Magazine. iTunes is offering a deluxe version of the album featuring the bonus track "Bye Bye Baby Blues" for only $9.99. You can check them out on iTunes or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/heartlessbastards. Also, keep an ear out for the new single "Parted Ways" on a radio station  near you!