the hArt of Sound “Bitter, Love”
The hArt of Sound evokes a uniquely sensuous listening experience in the reverberant “Bitter, Love.” Like heartbreak meets shipwreck, the imagery of a deserted ruin being immobilized and left behind deep underwater. It’s somehow blurred and distorted by the recurrence of ocean waves evoked by the flowing of a hypnotic fingerstyle guitar. Melancholy and atmospheric. The hArt of Sound immerses you in the song’s deep emotional space before his wrenching vocal throws you further into the narrative.
“Bitter, Love” captures the different emotional stages in the aftermath of heartbreak, in which multi-dimensional storytelling is intertwined with intricate yet epic soundscapes. Sadness and sorrow come in with a slight daze in light acoustic guitar and airy strings. Then the anger and pain explode with a fierce strumming storm, but eventually, it reaches catharsis when the narrator admits faults.
There’s no doubt “Bitter, Love” is an intense song. The absence of percussion and drum only intensifies the stages of feelings the narrator goes through. The hArt of Sound’s wrenching vocal and brutally honest performance makes the storytelling as palpable and raw as an open wound. There’s no holding back in “Bitter, Love,” and minimalism only amplifies its expression.
“Bitter, Love” adheres to the intricate balance of epic and tenderness found in The hArt of Sound’s catalog. Atmospheric strings in the background, a slight distortion of drastic, then a touch of darkness in the undertone to pair with a deeply revealing vocal. His music is cinematic and impressionistic, at the same time, brutal and vulnerable.
Punk Head: I love how captivating "Bitter, Love" is and its unique style. Can you tell us a little more about how everything come together?
The hArt of Sound: I wrote this song in a creatively fertile period. Typically when I write music I spend weeks writing and obsessing over details and minutia that most people probably don’t even notice. As an experiment, I wanted to see how it would affect my creative output if if I set a goal of writing and making a demo of a song every few days. I found that most of the songs that I wrote during this period were simpler in form and arrangement, but I still really liked what I was writing. This is one of those songs. Maybe the reason I’m uncomfortable with simple is because the angsty masochist in me feels like I need to suffer for my art to be good. I know that’s simply not true. Now the reason I spend so much time crafting songs is because I want to honor the fact that if I have ideas in my head for songs, I should go after every single one of them. Every decision made writing music adds a little bit more character and personality that makes the song a song that only that writer could write.
PH: What are you most proud about this track?
The hArt of Sound: The ending without a doubt. The original version of this song picked up after the first chorus with drums and bass. The producer I’m working with thought the song should stay more raw and personal, but leaving it energetically flat for the whole song didn’t really feel like it was the right fit for the song either. I don’t think I could have wrote this ending for any other song with any other lyrics. Now I try to emulate being as tapped into the songs I’m writing as I was to this song.
PH: What motivates you as an artist?
The hArt of Sound: The sheer enjoyment, thrill, and fulfilment of creating something from nothing.
PH: Who would you most like to collaborate with, if it could be anyone in the world?
The hArt of Sound: That’s a really tough question. There are artists who’s music has had profound influence over my own, but when you collaborate with someone, you have to consider more than musical styles. It’s just as important, if not more, to consider personality and how well you’d actually work together. It’s a boring answer, but whomever I’d write the best song with, even if it just happens to be one of my friends or someone in my local scene. If it would happen to my one of my heroes; great. But if I can’t write a good song with whichever hero of mine or whomever is doing something cool at the moment, it would be just as valuable to go put a penny in one of those souvenir penny press machines that says, “You wrote a song with Trent Reznor!” and then it can just sit in my junk drawer.
PH: What would you like to say to your fans out there?
The hArt of Sound: Thank you and stay tuned for a lot more music
