Heated Bones - Heated Bones

Heated Bones

Heated Bones
self-released; 2023

TOP ALBUM

By Matt Jensen

Heated Bones is an up and coming group from Colorado playing across the west with their debut album Heated Bones. They mention “With similarities to King Gizzard, Arctic Monkeys and the like, Heated Bones is blending the illusive sound of rock in their caldron to create BROTH ROCK.” I guess that’s a genre they made up. To my ears their music aligns well with Baroque pop in the spirit of a band like Grizzly Bear.

You can hear this on the opening song entitled “Is It Any Wonder?.” I loved this song for multiple reasons. It’s catchy yet experimental and displays some musicianship from everyone in the band. The beautiful ascending chorus was an inventive transition from the verse. It’s a very lush song as well which is dream-like and creates an atmospheric cloud of cascading melodies.

I was reminded of Joy Division and Interpol on “Have I Died?.” The vocalist delivers a fantastic performance here. The ’80s synth pop vibe that comes is killer and when combined with the organic bass makes some magic. 

“I Can’t Help Myself” is next and is wonderfully off kilter in all the right ways. The song contains another fantastic vocal performance. I think the delivery was a little more subdued here and David Bowie came to mind in a number of ways on this song. The band continues to hit it out of the park with “How's The Weather?.” which is a gorgeous mix of styles and vibes. On this song The Beatles came to mind but more experimental.

“Dopplegänger” felt like it was the single. The song makes you want to sing aloud the first time you hear it. It’s also just a ton of fun. There’s a nice juxtaposition of elements here. The song drives but there’s also a lot of air elements. The EP continues with great songs including the dynamic “In The Charge” and the kinetic and forward moving “One Trick Pony.”

Wow - this release blew me away. I thought the vocalist was truly exceptional and the songwriting is next level. This is one of the most original releases I heard this year. Highly recommended.

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