{"id":744,"date":"2017-11-20T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/already-heard-ep-premiere-arms-hearts\/"},"modified":"2018-05-15T21:31:07","modified_gmt":"2018-05-15T20:31:07","slug":"already-heard-ep-premiere-arms-hearts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/already-heard-ep-premiere-arms-hearts\/","title":{"rendered":"Already Heard EP Premiere: Arms & Hearts – Fortitude EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nToday Steve Millar aka Arms & Hearts<\/b> releases a new digital two-track EP titled \u2018Fortitude\u2019<\/i>. If you\u2019re unfamiliar with Millar\u2019s brand of impassioned folk punk, then you\u2019ll be pleased to know we\u2019re premiering the EP in full.<\/p>\n

Both tracks, ‘Fortitude\u2019<\/i> and ‘Dagger Eyes\u2019<\/i>, were written during the same time as his ‘Too Much Sleep, Not Enough Dreams\u2019<\/i>, yet they nearly never saw the light of day.<\/p>\n

\u201c’Fortitude\u2019 was two tracks I recorded for a split that never happened, unfortunately, so I sat on them for a long time and toyed with the idea of releasing them but I could never properly commit to it in my head,\u201d<\/i> explains Millar. \u201cI lacked a bit of confidence with these until I showed them to Mark from Harker when we were on tour in August, and he pushed me to release it. So out it comes!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

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Although written awhile ago, Millar believes both songs show progress. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely more harmonies and floor toms than previous releases,\u201d<\/i> he states. \u201cI\u2019m not trying anything new or out there.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

The release of ‘Fortitude\u2019<\/i> precedes a run of UK shows alongside Chicago native Andrew Paley. \u201cI think I was just bugging Paley\u2019s agent for a long time and eventually, something came through,\u201d<\/i> jokes Steve when asked about the forthcoming shows. Both Millar and Paley have an array of songs that are uplifting and mournful in equal measure, yet are carried with a \u201cheart on their sleeve\u201d punk mentality. Steve adds, \u201cfrom a live show, I guess you can expect as much energy as I can give, a bit of misery and some sing-alongs if the mood is right.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

While as the turn of the year approaches, Millar hints that Arms & Hearts<\/b> might be evolving beyond its solo acoustic roots. \u201cI\u2019m actually working on something a little different for Arms & Hearts and trying something new,\u201d<\/i> teases the Manchester-based singer-songwriter. \u201cIt\u2019ll be something planned to see the light of day mid next year (if it ever sees the light of day). I\u2019m also hoping to be doing more mainland stuff next year which I am very excited for.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n