New Music Tuesday: California Hearse – California Hearse [EP]

On a very personal level, there is no sound that evokes such beautiful nostalgia for me than the thunderous guitar riffs overlaid by somewhat sweet, yet angry lyrics, that are consistent within a pop punk song. It has always been a sound that seems to only bring joy to my heart. And I have to admit, I don’t listen to it nearly as much as I should these days. But, sometimes, when I am feeling as though an energy boost from the past is all I need to recoup from these strange days, something wonderful passes through my inbox (actually or, maybe, metaphorically?) that makes you feel joy, if only just for 15 minutes or so. And that thing would be what I want to share with you all today. It’s California Hearse’s self-titled EP. And it is incredible.

California Hearse is a genuine pop punk band who make seriously good feeling tunes about subjects such as wasting your life away, dissecting broken hearts, convincing yourself that your not dying inside, and…surfing!  A line like “I gave my best years, to the worst things” from their track “Best Worst” probably sums it all up the best, and is 1 minute and 43 seconds of absolute brilliance that I simply could not stop repeating. And as a whole, this brilliant EP is an absolute delight from front to back, with a re-listenability that is almost unheard of these days. Although I will say that while California Hearse can produce a brilliant record, it is bloody apparent that this is a band that should definitely be experienced live and in person. Oh what a life it would be if I could simply have this record for the lull time in between seeing these cats rock out in person. There is absolutely no way that these guys couldn’t put on a hell of a show, based on their sound alone. So, if you find the chance to do so, I highly suggest you see them live. I understand that the will be playing at La Escalera Fest 7 in San Diego, CA and Tijuana, Mexico this coming May. That might be a good place to start!

Seriously Folks, this is an absolutely amazing record, and it only feels like the beginning. Of course, we never know what the future may hold, but I feel a great deal of hope that we are going to be seeing a lot more from the rhythm section of Gentlemen Prefer Blood (who I am honestly unaware of personally, but what a cool fucking name, right?) that has decided to continue on creating their brilliant pop punk manifesto and graciously spewing their positive energy about negative things out into the world. This is great stuff Everyone! Enjoy!

You can find the EP now on Bandcamp and Spotify. Or to get you started, check out the single “Welcome Home” right here: