The Wandering Hearts - “Hesperus”
London-based The Wandering Hearts have just released “Hesperus,” an indie folk song about battling one’s inner demons while also trying to keep a relationship from falling apart. And quite honestly, they had us at “inner demons.”
With dark subject matter, there often comes a darker tone, and we hear a good deal of Lord Huron in “Hesperus,” musically– who happen to be one of our faves. But vocally, we get something else altogether– the constant harmonies deliver a potent, dreamy melody throughout the track’s duration. And if we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times: a good harmony is often all it takes to make a great song find its way onto our blog. With this track, we are almost picking up a sound reminiscent of The Staves and/ or First Aid Kit.
“Hesperus” does not waste its time sifting through the remnants of love and the songwriting is quite mature, steering clear of clichés and avoiding too much sentimentality. In fact, the trio took the song title from a Longfellow poem, which, to us, reinforces the seriousness of their craft. All who listen will find that parts of the production arrive in waves, ranging from delicate and sparse to wide and robust. It is gently moved along by a kick drum, but is otherwise content being acoustically driven, with sweet moments of violin.
For those of you who have not yet heard of The Wandering Hearts, we have a feeling that’s about to change, given the band’s recent signing to Chrysalis Records. Their EP, also called Hesperus, is now available everywhere and should serve to satiate us as we await their LP, due to arrive in 2024.
-TM