I meant to review this quite some time ago but never got round to it and then felt it would be better to wait until the actual release date. For those not in the know, Hearts Under Fire are an all-girl quartet from Woking who sound a little like Rise Against in their infancy. There’s no doubt this is a band on the rise, although this EP isn’t quite consistent enough to suggest they’re quite ready for world domination just yet. That said, they are the second best UK girl-fronted band I’ve come across in the last 12 months. The best? Well if I told you that right now, I’d have to kill you…
This five-track EP suggests HUF are on the right lines. Pint-sized vocalist Sian is the real secret weapon, with her huge vocal presence belittling her stature and age (the band are all 17-ish). The passion that bellows through on ‘Insult To Injury’ is reason enough to suggest a bright future – the fact they are now managed by Gravity DIP further proof HUF are a band on the rise. And with the relative ‘novelty’ (used in the loosest and nicest way possible) of being an all girl geniune punk-influenced band, it’s undoubted they will gain plenty of attention in the coming weeks and months. ‘Spitting Glass’ and ‘Nervous’ have enough fire in their collective bellies to have you stop what you are doing and listen – and for a first release you can ask for little else.
They’re not quite there yet, but Hearts Under Fire are certainly ones to keep a very close eye on. I have a feeling we will be hearing a lot more in the near future…