Heart & Lung
Cleveland, OH | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | SELF
Music
Press
If I had come across this band a little sooner I might have signed them to Dying Scene Records. Instead I’ll just have to content myself with introducing them as my favorite pop-punk discovery of the year. Heart & Lung hale from Cleveland, Ohio and recently self-released their debut full-length “You Wanna Know The Truth?”. I’ll let the music speak for itself (stream below) but if I had to give an elevator pitch on the band’s sound I’d say, “Think a little more sentimental, sincere Direct Hit!.” If you’ve only got time for one song I’d recommend the album’s title track – it gave me goosebumps. Now stop reading this and start listening! - Dying Scene
This four-piece pop-punk act hails from tropical Cleveland and has been doing their thing for a couple of years now. Featuring current members of Throw Shade and former members of The Fucking Cops, Let em’ Run, and The Public, it is safe to say that this band has plenty of rustbelt punk rock talent.
You Wanna Know the Truth is the band’s debut release and I must say, it is pretty damn impressive. Released independently, you’d think someone from an independent label would have scooped them up already (hint, hint to you label owners out there).
As far as the sound goes, think the energy of Direct Hit! mixed with the singing style of Say Anything, the memorable lyrics of Iron Chic, and glorious group harmonies of Masked Intruder.
... - Broken Headphones
After hanging around Cleveland for a few hours, we made our way over to the Grog Shop for the full show just in time to catch locals Heart & Lung. Melodic and upbeat, this four-piece was a great way to start the night. A little on the pop side without venturing into sugary sweetness, I’d be surprised if we don’t see this band heading down to FEST in the next few years. - BadCopy
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Cleveland punks Heart & Lung never set out to be a “midwest band,” but inevitably the rustbelt bleakness and coping mechanisms found in the dead of winter drinking in basements with friends seeps into the punk rock created there. It’s an ethos that lives in smoke-filled studio spaces littered with bottles of local lager and various bits of equipment that, at any time, may need to be sold to pay the gas bills. Still, there are wisecracks to medicate the boredom and constant jovial elbows to the ribs of misery you hear echoing in melodies and chords. Undoubtedly, that is why Heart & Lung’s forlorn lyrics are housed within bouncing, upbeat, pop structures, echoing artists such as Off With Their Heads, The Menzingers and the Lawrence Arms. "You can't fake what the songs are about," idiot/vocalist John Payne explains. "They're still generally like, 'Things are pretty fucked up,' but we're having a really good time being really bummed out." Finding joy within the bleak and harnessing an honest grip on life’s realities is a recurring theme in the band’s debut album You Wanna Know The Truth? Case In Point: “Hey Man,” a song about cancer that resembles the happiest-sounding song Jawbreaker never wrote. The album opens with a rallying cry from Tom Hamilton, sports-commentator for the Cleveland Indians—whose voice also serves in place of stage banter at the band’s energetic live show—and jets through high-bpm punk with a pop drizzle. On songs like “Wasted” and “Ingenue,” listeners will hear the melodies derived from their previous bluegrass band (yes, a bluegrass band. Pop-punk and mountain music are closer kin than one may expect!) that make Heart & Lung incomparable in the genre. The album is catchy, poppy and staggeringly nihilistic in its explorations of growing up and giving up (“Telecaster”), crumbling relationships (“Don’t Need You”) and political injustice (“1954”). Ultimately, drummer Nick Patrone points out, the band are creating “what [they] like or want to hear.” They’re a group of longterm friends, playing for the love of playing and continuing to laugh through the blows life deals them. Heart & Lung is: John Payne - Bass/Vocals
Miles Cobbs - Guitar/Vocals
Shannon Sullivan - Guitar/Vocals
Nick Patrone - Drums
Band Members
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