Noisettes “Wild Young Hearts”/ “When You Were Mine (Killers Cover)”
UK indie rock-ers the Noisettes might have been armed with an unapologetic, rebel blend of razor-sharp punk, classic rock, jazz and blues that drew heavy critical praise, and an eye-grabbing English/ Zimbabwean beauty of a frontwoman with a background in theater and the circus and an oh-so-cool government tag (Shingai Shoniwa), but sadly, all these elements combined weren’t enough to draw them much commercial fortune. With a sleeker re-formatting of their eclectic style on their latest cycle, though, the three-piece’s luck seems about to change.
Sounding a million years away from their earlier sound, new single “Don’t Upset The Rhythm” has already kicked off their year on a largely successful note. Mostly thanks to it’s inclusion in a new Mazda ad, but also due to it’s infectious indulgence in swirly, disco diva territory, the dance record has opened them up to pop audiences in a major way, looking to debut big on next week’s UK singles chart. This newfound mainstream success should only continue once ears get better trained on the equally peppy “Wild Young Hearts”.
The title cut off their upcoming album, “Hearts” isn’t as much of a giant leap from their previous sound as “Rhythm”, making it a better sell to the band’s longtime fans. Merging a Strokes-y garage pop feel with jazzy piano bits, the track nurses an appealing feelgood swing that’s perfect for Shoniwa’s ruminations on being young and having fun.
Yeah, she might have lost a boyfriend recently, but she “won’t weep” because “summer is here again” and, like every change of season, it brings with it the exciting potential for all kinds of new single-night adventures with members of the opposite sex. Every now and then, twinges of regret towards this frolicsome lifestyle float across her mind (“Somebody tell me tell me tell me, when will I learn?”), but she just as quickly casts off the sobering thoughts with a simple “Damn these wild young hearts” shake of the head, her interest in enjoying life while she’s still in her prime proving far too irresistible to give up.
A great tune to start the day off right.
Wild Young Hearts arrives in the UK, April 20th.
DL: “Wild Young Hearts” (alt)
Need another reason why the Noisettes need to be tagged as your favorite band of ’09? Below, catch their sublime Live Lounge cover of The Killers’ “When You Were Young”:
can you please re-up “Wild Young Hearts”? Thanks