REVIEWED: Long Weekends – "Tell It To My Heart "

It’s been a year since Long Weekends released their 7” Don’t Reach Out on Noyes Records and the Halifax-based three-piece are back with more sharp, treble-laced, 80’s tinged Punk. Tell It To My Heart is densely packed with wailing, reverberated guitar, pounding drums and thick bass, which is no surprise since fellow Halgonian Gabe Beale from the heavy pop outfit Bloodhouse, helmed recording.

The album opens with the dull, thudding rhythm of  “The Best You Ever Had” before culminating in a wall of sound that pretty much defines the pace for the rest of the album. Behind that wall of noise are songs that range from powerlessness and revenge (“First Responders”), longing (“No Problems”) and much heartache in between. Reading the lyrics in order seems to reveal a narrative about a turbulent relationship that may not have been consciously done by the band. Suffice it to say Tell It To My Heart leans more towards the negative range of the emotional spectrum but that’s not to say the album is depressing. It’s full of danceable rhythms and catchy hooks most notably when Noel sings “Push me over. Push me over. Pull this joke off my shoulder.” in the noise driven “Trades”. 



At times the album dips into a Surf rock feel, especially in “First Responders” and the rolling chorus of  “Rip and Run”, which are melodic high points. Noel has a New wave sound to his voice giving the album an 80’s Proto Punk feel and is the melodic base to the music but backing vocals are sparse and the album might have benefited, melodically, from more. The tempo doesn’t vary much and for some albums that might be a problem but there is diversity in the music and the album never seems to lose momentum. Tell It To My Heart will keep you wanting to move throughout.

My personal favorites are “First Responders” (For the Surf Rock-esque guitar) and “Trades” (For the major hook). If you are looking for rhythms to make you shake and melodies to keep you hooked all wrapped up in howling, reverberated distortion check out the bombastic racket of Tell It To My Heart.

- Matt MacIsaac