Metal Hearts

Socialize

(Suicide Squeeze)

Record Review by Kate Kowsh

Just to be clear:  Socialize isn’t the kind of album you’d throw in your Discman to jog to.  To say the least, it’s not an adrenalin-summoning attention getter.  In fact, Retreat would be a more fitting title.

To call Metal Hearts minimalistic wouldn’t even scratch the surface; their style is downright bare.  But this Boston duo, ex-nemeses Anar Badalov and Flora Wolpert Checknoff, garners their fair share of fans by squeezing the most out of every sound.  They experiment with splicing digital beats, electric guitar, epic piano chords and some percussion together to create a synergy of sound.  The result leaves one hell of an interesting impression in its wake for listeners.  Metal Hearts hold the patent on how to set a somber, mental landscape.

Badalov, a whispering alto, cloaks her melodies in an apathetic, unassuming package, that tippie-toes into your ears—then explodes.  Checknoff’s lyrics deserve a little attention, too. “Mountain Song” is miles away from ordinary, proclaiming, “You can watch me fester in masturbatory quiet/ I swallow a bottle of wine so I can get by it/You can really tell when I’m a self indulgent mess/I will wear your ego down and make you feel like less.”

Admittedly, it’s a little difficult to pick out any significant distinctions between the tracks as they all tend to bleed.  “Gentleman’s Spell” is a noteworthy exception, fusing digital synths with saxophone accompaniment, making the whole album better for it.