DODSFERD
Cursing Your Will to Live
(Moribund)

THE WARRIORS
Genuine Sense of Outrage
(Victory)

CRUSHING THE
GRINDCORE
TRADEMARK
3-Way Split
(BlastAsFuk)

BLUT AUS NORD
Odinist
(Candlelight)

CREATURE FEATURE
The Greatest Show Unearthed
(Sumerian)

FACE THE PANIC
The Reclamation 

(Reaper)

PHASED
Medications

(Elektrohasch)

MORE REVIEWS

How much do you want to bet that time is going to be graceful to this band? How much do you want to bet that their cult status will eventually evolve into something else? Something much more respected perhaps.  For those not in the know, The Exploding Hearts were a short-lived four piece from Portland, OR that crafted nearly perfect power pop. Well, at least according to them. That was their initial goal, but the results were a bit rougher on the punk side and looks-wise & sound-wise they shared more in common with 70’s punk bands like The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, The Undertones and even Hanoi Rocks.  Sonically though, The Exploding Hearts had the best of both worlds, with music and lyrics that were light, fun, catchy, heavy on the melodies, relying on guitars and the near girly vocals of Adam Henry Cox. Sadly, it all came to an end while on July, 2003 when on their way back from San Francisco to Portland a car accident would claim the life of three of their four members.

Gladly, The Exploding Hearts left some wonderful tunes (most included on their only full-length Guitar Romantic) for posterity. Their music was a perfect mix of youthful enthusiasm and expert chorus-heavy rock and roll. Much of their lyrical emphasis was on sweet ass, yet not corny lyrics, very often dealing with typical teenage heartbreak (“I’m a Pretender”, “Shattered”) and teenage escapism (“Sniffin’ Glue”, “Throwaway Style”, “(Making) Teenage Faces”). Impressive how for a band as young as this (the members were all in their late teens/very early 20’s), their songs sound so expert and loaded with life experience very uncommon for their ages.

In any case, Shattered is the perfect introduction to the band as it compiles all of the band’s singles including some unreleased versions and alternate mixes.  Songs like “Shattered”, “So Bored” “Sniffin’ Glue”, “Modern Kicks” and “I’m a Pretender” (perhaps one of the finest melodic punk songs of an American band in the last decade) are sonic proof of the potential that lied in this band’s innards, a band whose output was so good we can only imagine what they would have been capable of had destiny not dealt them a bad card. The Exploding Hearts may not exist anymore, but just wait and see. Undoubtedly, you’ll hear more from them in the years to come.

Official Site