“None of the pieces fit.“
Heavenly Blue are a band ready-made for lore diving. With seven (and a half?) members forming the loose collective, any mic-grabbing audience members might just find themselves in the band for life. The origin of Heavenly Blue is the stagnation of previous projects (notably the long lived dreamy screamo band Youth Novel) and the lives of its performers during the American pandemic-political landscape. The band hopes to stymie their apathy and un-resign from life, despite the prejudice they and friends live through in the US, and the US’s white neo-coloncial actions abroad. Banking on a rising collective consciousness and an “our side has to win” attitude, screamo is the perfect environment for them to grapple with these themes.
Heavenly Blue’s first track, “Certain Distance”, was teased in last July’s Balladeers, Redefined compilation, a survey of the modern screamo landscape from Secret Voice (a record label run by Touché Amoré’s Jeremy Bolm). This immerses Heavenly Blue within the modern screamo scene, not to mention their recent live outings with Frail Body, Flooding, and Dreamwell. All this recognition has come ahead of their first LP meaning We Have The Answer is a highly anticipated release. It’s a lean 30 minutes of relentlessly focused screamo. Its production emphasises the shrillness of all its guitars, the frail timbre of its voices, and dramatic low-end. Once your ear has adjusted to the pitched chaos, you are drawn into a coherent world.
“Davos” opens with ringing feedback, a most rudimentary snare, and a yowl. It develops in a fascinating way, increasing its urgency throughout, finding new vocal hooks at every turn. Closing on weightless drone chords, the respite doesn’t last long as title track “We Have The Answer” cracks back in with crust bass and rapid guitar work. With two voices to contend with (Mel Caren and Juno Parsons), the ear doesn’t grow tired as brash intensity is tempered with variety. Live performances show Parsons and Caren make a kinetic duo, drawing energy from one another like speaker singing feedback to a guitar. At times one sings clean whilst the other brings the energy. The back and forth motion allows both singers to absolutely go for it, too, as you hear the microphone struggle to contain them.
“Pando” starts in a desperate stride with a streak of ‘emo’ sneaking in during the introductory part, as just one guitar holds the groove and duets with somewhat clean vocals. The ride-led mid section brings a deranged atmosphere, which resolves by doubling down on the madness. “Glass So Clear” is a pulse-raising two minute beatdown that revels in gang vocals and angular riffs. Following these brief tracks is the mini epic “Certain Distance“, a dynamic track that pauses for clean guitar pirouettes between agonising skramz pulses. Its riffs are far from being an indistinct buzz as there are some articulate lines through the middle stretch.
Lead single “Static Voice Speaks toStatic Me” is strikingly catchy in a way you won’t hear elsewhere on the record (Caren says it’s known internally as the ‘pop banger’). When such a show of pitched force is at work, the melodic moments really stand out, but this track wouldn’t be half as effective if it wasn’t bent completely around its choruses. At the same time, it’s intense, erupting immediately from “Certain Distance”’s reflective finale into an earworm verse and chorus: “Stagnant, bored stability / Now you are where you’re supposed to be”. It’s very far from the only earworm moment, though, as all the instrumentals carry satisfying turns up and down We Have The Answer. Another lore tidbit is that drummer Drew Coughlin actually wrote several of these songs drums-first. This perhaps explains how the wash of aching guitar chords become a rhythmic, grooving, and coherent mass through “Static Voice Speaks to Static Me“’s snare driven action.
“…And Like That, a Year Had Passed” picks up guitar hero tendencies for a noodly opening riff whilst the vocals spell out the record’s most depressive moments yet. Blast beats intertwine with the track’s upwards spiral, as if it’s ready to end in it’s first minute. What instead follows is a clean part with dizzy vocals (“I feel thunder gathering now“), resolving on grand chords cut with sniping feedback. Fitting to its conversational title, “A Part of Me, a Part of You” brings back the dual vocals emphasis for a wall-to-wall heavy track. “Looming” is the most Circle Takes The Square track, a flurry of mad ideas and skipped beats.
The end of a screamo record is all-important as the real intent of the record is revealed. After two full-on tracks, the closing stretch offers something different. “Heat Death Parade” is dedicated to the record’s longest build up, ushered gently as it is led by the bass. Weary vocals relinquish all triumphant energy until pulsing guitars start to build. The tempo twists slowly towards four stabbing chords, as the track becomes “All of the Pieces Break“. These chords ring out, ebbing down from the climax, and the vocals excuse the previous outburst with a dejected and slow passage (“Life is illusion of choice … It means nothing“). Snatching away the mood of defeat comes the final protracted outburst, a furious call to action that makes all the preceding intensity of We Have The Answer a mote in the air.
Given proper attention and an appetite for modern screamo, sensible listeners will agree that We Have The Answer is a tremendous record. Stacked front to back with brilliant tracks and perfect flow between them, it’s hard to find fault with the record. Constantly passionate delivery and an atmosphere that tempers defeat and resistance makes the record feel truly special. The band have teased that they will be recording the next LP this year, another reason to observe Heavenly Blue’s bright future.
9/10
We Have The Answer releases on Friday 12th April and can be pre-ordered here: US, EU/UK.