Heathers: Acoustic Folksy Punk… Sort Of

I am a whore for acoustic music. That’s not saying so much – I’m a whore for every-other style of music out there too. Recently I’ve been extra into acoustic stuff, though. When I stumbled across Heathers opening for the Ghost Mice… Damn.

I picked up their CD at the show, and was listening to it within minutes of getting home from the concert. The opening of the CD is just as simple and powerful as the opening of their set.

Well played acoustic guitar lays the perfect backdrop to their voices. Perfect harmonies cut in, and the song is off, running in places, strolling leisurely in others. It’s simple, but masterfully done. I feel as if any other band attempted to produce an album like this it would end up being boring, whereas this is exhilarating.

Being from Ireland, there is a hint of Irish influence. It slips into their singing and their melodies, and leaves me unbelievably happy.

Generally I’m overly picky about female vocalists. I don’t know why I hold women to a higher standard than I do men…I just feel like most female singers share the same generic nasally singing. These women have none of that. Their voices are as far from generic as possible.

As is the case with most acoustic music, their voices are what make the record. That’s not to say their accompanying music is boring. Far from it. It’s just kept simple so their voices are the main attraction.

I am absolutely mesmerized by how complicated their music sounds, given their only instruments are their voices and an acoustic guitar.

This album makes me think of summer, picnics, and laying outside in the sun, full of food and drink, surrounded by awesome people.

Some day soon I want to do cartwheels through the park to this album.

What to take away…

Heathers has powerful vocals that are incredibly harmonized and fantastical. Irish influences slip in regularly diferentiating this album from most of the others in the Plan-It-X catalog. It is the perfect blending of folk and folk punk, leaving it perhaps on the other side of folk when it comes to instrumentation. The lyrics ought to resonate with even the most die-hard folk-punker.

What should you expect?

Acoustic Irish influenced folk with a slight glaze of folk-punk.

What drink would they pair with?

Perhaps a Bulmers Irish hard cider. Delicious, refreshing, and tasting distinctly of summer.

Favorite song?

I have such a hard time playing favorites.

“Remember When” however perhaps inches slightly higher than the rest on my list. It’s one of their faster songs. I will forever remember them kicking off their set with it. It grabbed my attention and held it hostage.

“Slices Of Palama” is slower, and has another instrument, a string of some manner, that sucks me right in. It’s almost melancholy, but just misses that vibe. I think it’s lingering feeling is that of earnestness.