Review Summary: A star engulfed in melancholic reverb.
Shimmering Stars take a vague 60’s vibe and drench it in gallons of echoing reverb. Factor in sturdy melodies and decent pop-writing and you’ve got yourself a pretty little indie record from a fresh and promising outfit.
Despite being a twee nova, lasting for just under 30 minutes,
Violent Hearts sounds huge. The melodies aren’t stadium sized; there are no colossal riffs or pounding percussion per se, but rather a defining production effort that swamps the whole thing in engulfing reverb, bolstering each sparse element up to a hundred times its otherwise size.
What the studio trickery and its effect on Shimmering Stars’ sound does, is complement and evolve the group’s style; taking the sparse melancholia of tracks such as the beautiful ‘Did I Lose You’, and transforming it into a soul-touching cauldron of moody pop noise, sounding important and poignant despite the briefness and simplicity. The sharp and suited production style wouldn’t be enough on its own, and does begin to feel a tad heavy at times, but fortunately Shimmering Stars write solid pop songs with quality melodies. The lyrics are bittersweet and delivered in sweet but pained croon, whilst the music is marked by jangly guitars, downtrodden bass and propulsive percussion work.
It does get a tad samey after several tracks, with the cavernous reverb, but
Violent Hearts is so brief that it just stays on the right side of the line. There’s some gorgeous numbers too, such as the interplay between slow misery and fast optimism on ‘I’m Gonna Try’, the poignant ‘Did I Lose You’, the ghostly groove of ‘East Van Girls’, and the brilliantly named ‘Dancing To Music I Hate’, to name just a few.
Points for originality and diversity are less solidly defined, but what does ring utterly true about
Violent Hearts is a consistent and poised quality. After a few spins, the reverb will seem less drowning and more complementary, allowing the strength of the band’s melodies to blaze through, and that’s when Shimmering Stars begin to shine their brightest.
A melodic, melancholic and brief debut,
Violent Hearts is an accomplished and enjoyable start to a career that could either grow into blinding star or drown under its own reverb. If you like the sound of a vaguely retro vibe drenched in reverb, check the album out; but if the production style sounds irritable, simply avoid, because such a factor is what ultimately improves and limits
Violent Hearts’ success, a large portion of which is down to mere musical taste.
