Broken Hearts Are Blue - Meeting Themselves (2024)

American indie rock band Broken Hearts Are Blue – debuted in 1997, regrouped in 2018 – are back with Meeting Themselves, and this new full-length album is one to lose yourself in, both musically and lyrically. The melodies of Daniel Buettner (bass, piano, synths, percussion), Derek Brosch (drums, percussion) and Bryan Charles (guitars, vocals, typewriter) are mesmerizing, the storytelling of Ryan Gage (vocals) cuts through your soul. Fascinating (“I got the Hermes Baby out // And my fingers took flight // Doesn’t matter if I get the facts right // I knew her as Blue // But her real name was Maud // She loved the Shangri-La’s // And the Paisley Underground // Ooh la la la oh” – from The French Major), clever (“Lean into Eros // Is not the same thing // As lean into arrows // Despite the chance // Of being hurt” – from Confidence Trick) and personal (“When there’s nothing to be done // And you and I for good ol’ fun // Scribble out the words in sand // Words from Because I Am” – from Actualities on a Beach, referring to the opening track of their 1997 The Truth About Love LP). Magical.