In Hearts Wake have always been that one step ahead of their peers. Their career, aside from being clogged full of some of the biggest riffs this side of the outback, has hinged on their desire for a better understanding of how we treat our planet and its inhabitants that make it such a beautiful place beside us. It’s so surprising that the bands follow up to 15’s Skydancer is just as punishing, euphoric and intoxicating.

What In Hearts Wake do so well is build up a vivid and detailed atmosphere for their songs to linger in. Like the trickle of a stream one minute to the roar of a hurricane the next, the band have such a strong control over their output and know when to bring the thunder and when not to. The crunching tone of ‘Nomad’ will have every single crowd it is played to throwing limbs like it’s no-one’s business, while the brilliantly draining rock tendencies of ‘Frequency’ shows off the range that they possess.

As is usually the case with music of this ilk, things get a bit hot, heavy and familiar by the time the slow-burning majesty of ‘Now’ rears its chaotic head, but that doesn’t stop this being a body of work that many a post-hardcore band can only dream of crafting; crushingly effective and terrifyingly real.

Beautiful, intricate and at times heavier than hell, In Hearts Wake have hit a new peak with ‘Ark’. With every release, their message of sustainability and tolerance gets more and more compelling, raw and hard hitting, which is exactly what the band want. It feels as though the sky is the limit and In Hearts Wake have just earned their wings.

4/5

‘Ark’ by In Hearts Wake is released on 26th May on UNFD.

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Words by Jack Rogers (@JackMRog)