The Heartbreaks – We May Yet Stand a Chance

Morcambe marvels The Heartbreaks return with second album We May Yet Stand A Chance. If the ‘we’ refers to them as a band drowning in a current musical sea of banality, then yes, they should stand a chance with this spectacular second effort.

There have already been some cracking standout singles from this album – Hey, Hey Lover and Absolved. Both are uniquely charming, with the former a desperate tale which harks the album title in its chorus. Absolved is a thoroughly more uplifting experience, both in terms of tempo and percussion, but upon repeated listening proves to have the same dark undertones which run throughout the album.

Robert Jordan is a monumentally sombre affair which starts off empty and downtrodden and somehow turns into a potential bond theme with the addition of some strings.

In a rather contrasting turn of events ¡No Pasarãn! is a far more gung-ho, 60s track, whilst This Is Not Entertainment alters things again, as it exudes more latino beats and acoustic melody. The social commentary on the latter makes it stand out as this generation’s That’s Entertainment.

Despite there being a similar mid-tempo to each song, We May Yet Stand a chance is certainly not short of variety and versatility in terms of influencing genres and tales to be told. However the mix is consistent enough that it doesn’t feel like The Heartbreaks are lost. No, quite the opposite in fact – they are flirting with possibilities well within their limitations as they hover around a genre which has needed a kick up the backside in the last few years.

There’s no denying it, The Heartbreaks are absolutely mesmerising storytellers. Clearly standing alongside fellow northern lyrical geniuses like Morrissey and Alex Turner, it surely can’t be long until they reach the same dizzy heights of fame. We May Yet Stand a Chance holds it’s own as a great alt-indie album, but combined with the social commentary and messages it sends, could prove to be a real marker of our generation.

theheartbreaks.net