Edmonton's own Americana rock band, The Hearts, is back with their new single "The Long Goodbye," and it's everything fans have been waiting for. This latest track is a testament to the band's ability to weave unforgettable melodies and moody harmonies into their indie-folk and Americana tapestry.
From the song's beginning, you’re greeted with dreamy textures and earthy grooves that are quintessentially The Hearts. The track manages to capture that perfect blend of glitter and grit, delivering a heartfelt performance that feels both intimate and expansive. The Hearts have a knack for creating an exhilarating listening experience, whether they're rocking out in dive bars or captivating crowds at major festivals like SXSW and Edmonton Folk Fest.
"The Long Goodbye" stands out with its melancholic swagger, a hallmark of The Hearts' sound. It's a song that reflects their growth and depth as a band, offering a poignant exploration of farewells and the bittersweet nature of parting ways. The track promises to stand out on its upcoming fifth studio album, set to drop in Fall 2024, and continues its tradition of crafting songs that resonate deeply with its audience.
With a history of indie chart-toppers, award nominations, and music featured on platforms like MTV and HBO, The Hearts have repeatedly proven that they know how to create music that leaves a lasting impression. "The Long Goodbye" is no exception—it’s a beautifully crafted piece that showcases their signature sound while hinting at the exciting new directions they’ll explore on their forthcoming album.
Tune into a journey through the heart and soul of The Hearts, as they're sure to captivate listeners and leave them eager for more.
Welcome to Buzz, The Hearts! Congratulations on releasing your latest single, "The Long Goodbye." Can you share the inspiration behind "The Long Goodbye" and how it fits into the overall theme of your upcoming album?
Thank you! This song was built around a chord progression and form composed by band member Dwayne Martineau (keys). We chose it as the first single because it ties together many of the musical themes that you’ll hear throughout the album, as well as many of the recurring lyrical concepts - how fragments of the larger story get lost over time, how details of memories (much like details of dreams) fade but remain as feelings, and what we humans must be missing out on amidst our inevitably unavailing quest for permanence.
What personal experiences or themes influenced the lyrics of "The Long Goodbye?" Can you walk us through the songwriting process for this track?
The imagery of El Dorado (referenced in the opening verse) represents an ancient, fabled place of riches and opportunity. Visions of such a place have held up over time as a concept that people wish to cling to or perhaps return to, though there’s no way of knowing whether it actually existed in the first place. As people, we do that with our own memories or interpretations of what certain points in our past were like. We envision gilded periods in our personal histories that we strive to hold onto or recreate. In doing so, we lose sight of ourselves (and the things standing right in front of us) along the way. We forget that we evolve. Even if it were possible to return to a place in time, we’d never be able to experience it like we did the first time. Everything can only happen once.
You're known for your emotive and heartfelt delivery. How do you ensure that each song maintains that emotional depth and authenticity?
It isn't really a conscious choice. If you have to work at authenticity, you likely aren’t achieving it. We just create what feels natural to us. The songs come as they come. We certainly put effort into arranging our ideas carefully. And we’ve been doing this together for a number of years - because we still want to. We have a chemistry between us, and we’re happy if that translates to the audience. The end goal is to make music we’re proud of and feel good about. The listener determines whether it's authentic or just a bunch of bullshit.
What role does visual storytelling play in your music, particularly in relation to your recent video for "The Long Goodbye?" How do you envision the connection between your music and its visual representation?
The video was developed and directed by Dwayne Martineau (who plays keys, co-wrote the song, and is also an accomplished visual artist). In his words...
For me, visuals are all about creating a mood and a mindset to feel what the music is saying. The imagery of the band inside the distorted mirror was inspired by the song's refrain of "I don't recognize myself" and the record's themes of impermanence and shifting identity. I don't think we work with narrative storytelling so much as vignettes— connecting emotional bullet points the way memories connect moments and feelings. It gives people space to find their own meaning. Putting all that into practice has landed us on an aesthetic that feels like timeless summertime memories of looking at the world through dirty sunglasses.
With your fifth studio album on the horizon, what can fans expect regarding the evolution of your sound or themes compared to your previous work?
In much of our earlier work, we made albums that we had to learn how to recreate live. Now, we’re striving to make albums that recreate what we do live - where we capture the stylistic nuances of each individual player (Jeff Stuart, Gavin Dunn, Dwayne Martineau, Christopher Quesnel, Brad Tebble, Lindsay Pratt) and how we’ve learned to blend together over time. We’re lucky to have stuck it out together long enough to get the opportunity to grow into that. Our sound has typically been described as variations of ‘alternative’, whether that be related to folk, rock, pop, etc.. Through iterative experimentation, we’ve naturally gravitated towards an Americana/indie-folk vibe, while hopefully maintaining a taste of ‘atmosphere’.
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