It’s already been decided on this site that we all want Hearts In Pencil’s hair. But they’re not just a pretty haircut – they know Latin too. This two track EP is entitled Hannibal ad Portas: ‘Hannibal is at the gates’, an expression of general woe or dismay used by Roman senators when calamity struck (thanks, Wikipedia…!).
You might then expect this EP to be full of ominous doom-saying, rapidly confirmed by the eponymous opening track. It starts with sounds of wild animals, thudding explosions and a sound reminiscent of twisting metal. The singer (whose name is given only as ‘Lozzo’) slurs like a pissed-off Pete Doherty à la ‘Fuck Forever’, spitting venomous lines such as ‘There’s a planet full of Nazis/They’re just waiting for a call.’ The raging lyrics are perhaps overstated, and by the end it sounds like Lozzo is just yelling the first slur against the human race that comes into his head. On the other hand, the instrumentation is fantastic; subtle strings and electronic samples cradle thumping drums and slippery bass, smothered in an ethereal delayed guitar line. It sounds almost like Hope Of The States in one of their more brooding moments. About two minutes in, the track suddenly dives into an Arctic Monkeys/Art Brut-esque upbeat, pop-punky chorus. It’s totally out of the blue but works brilliantly; you can almost picture the confused audience breaking into a euphorically unexpected mosh. The song lingers slightly in places in the middle and could definitely be trimmed down, but it is very accomplished. This is not something thrown together in an afternoon in a shed; you feel the band could barely have poured more love and care onto their own children. The result captures the sound they are going for perfectly; epic, malevolent, unnerving, and something a bit different.
The second track, ‘Bigger Games/Better Days’, is a different kettle of fish. It’s essentially a guitar ballad, featuring a solid bass line and pattery drums. The Libertines influence is pervasive in this track; again, it’s accomplished stuff with a good melody, but you wouldn’t bat an eyelid if you heard it as a hidden track on Up The Bracket. The girl/boy vocal duet works well and adds something to the mix, although it’s a little clumsy in places. The chorus is catchy and (dare I say it) a little bit Kooks-y; it’s certainly of the hands-in-the-air-waving-lighters nature. The track is reworked at the end with the full band (the ‘Better Days’ half) and it works really well; it’s a shame the band didn’t stick with this style from the start of the track and forget all the Libertines tribute stuff.
Both the tracks on this EP are a success. They’re well written, well produced and show that Hearts In Pencil have real promise as a band. However, while they showcase the band’s laudable range of songwriting capabilities, the tracks don’t work well together as an EP. They just sound like they’re from two totally different bands. There’s a lot of great stuff here, but the band needs to find a consistent style. The title track shows them beginning to find an original voice – if this continues, Hearts In Pencil will definitely be a band to look out for.