May 27, 2012

When they released the rough Ripped Up Jeans & Silly Dreams for free online in March 2010, it was clear that the members of Candy Hearts were drawing on a solid set of classic pop-punk influences. On Everything's Amazing & Nobody's Happy, the band deliver on that record's immense promise, producing the kind of disarming, mid-tempo tunes that defined the careers of bands such as the Promise Ring and Pollen. From the first notes of opener “Tongue Tied,” they manage to get under the listener's skin thanks to minimal, crisp production that sounds effortless and clean, allowing the simple, honest quality of the performances to shine through. Vocalist Mariel Loveland has unavoidably drawn comparisons to Lemuria's Sheena Ozzella, and while the it might be too easy, it works—both succeed in injecting a powerful feminine energy into a male-dominated genre in their own unique fashion. There's an out-of-time quality to these songs, so while the aforementioned bands act as signposts of their sound, there's no doubt that Candy Hearts have managed to produce something distinctly their own with this sophomore full-length.