Heathers - Here, Not There

Listen, we have to start this review with a disclaimer. You’re going to read this and think we took the easy road, that we saw an opportunity for an easy analogy and snatched it up greedily. Truth is, we’ve done some Googling, and we’re not alone. Heathers are twenty year old Irish twins Louise and Ellie Macnamar, who come bearing guitars and emotion (see where we’re going with this?). Their debut album ‘Here, Not There’ has just been released in the UK following wide success in their home country.

So here it is, the analogy on everyone’s lips: they’re not dissimilar to a young Tegan and Sara. We know it sounds too obvious, but hear us out. It’s not the twin thing. And they’re Irish, not Canadian. But they sing about love and loss and all that good stuff, accompanying it with catchy, guitar-heavy pop songs and cartoon accents and, well, just listen for yourself. We dare you to disagree. Interestingly, the duo has also covered a couple of Tegan and Sara tracks on Youtube and, whether done ironically or not, we feel they’ve brought this all on themselves…

Here, Not There has that charming ‘debut album’, not overly polished sound that all too many new artists are lacking in this modern age. The production style lends the album an intimate and raw feel with the infectious folk-pop sure to leave its mark after the first listen. With a total runtime of a little over 25 minutes, our only criticism would be that, with most tracks not breaking the 2 minute 30 mark, some songs feel a little under-explored; like they were just getting started. Standout tracks include Margie, with its pretty harmonies and waterfall of tumbling lyrics, overlaying fast and furious guitar. Opening track Remember When gets under your skin in the best possible way and contrasts nicely with the quieter songs on the album, such as the aptly named Hush, Hush. With a good mix of up-tempo and simple throughout the album, a special mention should go to Veronica, which features that primary school favourite the ‘round,’ and Heathers, a nod to the band’s cult film namesake.

For a relatively young band, forming in 2008, the girls have already racked up a number of successful gigs in the USA and, by the sound of this offering, the success is not going to stop there. This is a cute album for the Autumn months and, FAO: Heathers - please don’t hate us for the comparison!