VANNA
The Honest Hearts
[Artery]
Score: 9
Stream: “Passerby”

With a new label and lead vocalist, Vanna have chosen to return with a new EP featuring three new songs and two re-recorded. The Honest Hearts feels like a combination of their very first release (The Search Party Never Came) and their last Epitaph outing (A New Hope). Surprisingly, Davey Muise sounds an awful lot like Chris Preece, so there’s not much of a vocal adjustment here. Also interesting is that the two re-recorded tracks on this EP are from the releases mentioned above. “Dead Language” is back from The Search Party, and “Trashmouth” from A New Hope. Both songs sound more or less like their original recordings, other than having a live quality to them that The Honest Hearts boasts throughout. This doesn’t mean that the studio audio is bad, but rather that the vocals feel more frantic and real (as they would on stage). As a result, this short collection really feels like an in-home performance by the band, which is quite cool. As far as the new tracks go, “Passerby” comes out on top. The song opens in a panic, and is fairly fast throughout. “Lost And Bound”, the first track, would sound right at home with their last album as it is a healthy mix of breakdowns and soaring vocal work. Lastly, “Sending Vessels” shares a lot of the elements Vanna first possessed in the beginning (when their music was slightly more even paced and constructed larger in style). Overall, The Honest Hearts is an excellent return from a great band you really should be listening to. Definitely pick this one if you’re already a fan. If you’re not familiar with Vanna, this is a good chance to hear a mix of their new and old. (NL)

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