The first thing that you’ll notice about Candy Hearts is that the bands lead singer isn’t going to completely wow you vocally. Right as soon as the first track opened up I cringed a little even. It’s not that it’s completely terrible but it’s a voice you have to be prepared for. I’d say she is somewhat reminiscent of say Kimya Dawson, maybe not as good, but her voice is playful with the lyrical and kind of carefree with a punk attitude reminiscent of early Green Day.

The rest of the band is also not bad but not great either. I am endeared to the album a little because it reminds me of when I was a teenager and these from the ground up acts would just show up, rock the local scene for a bit, and when all was said and done you’d have their independent released albums and demo tapes to cherish the memory of their coming and going. Production-wise, this is what I hear. The music is decent but it tends to fall all over itself in some parts.

Where I also fail to make connection is in the substance of the albums lyrics. Mostly songs about feeling empowered, being in love, being out of love. Mostly the stuff that teenagers eat up and find revelatory to their young lives. As a whole the album is enjoyable but it never quite pulls out of that local band feel that it has. It will probably be great for the next month or two but sooner then later I’ll probably shelve it and forget about it. As always, final judgment is yours. Make sure to tap the stream to hear some of the previous work over at Bandcamp so you can get yourself an informative opinion of your own. Enjoy.