HEROES + HEROINES
“TWO WEEKS” 7”
self-released

Spring has arrived! Thanks to the first-ever Heroes + Heroines 7” record, I am blissfully basking in sunshine on a dappled-gray February afternoon. Recorded at the Distillery in Costa Mesa with the “insane in a good way” Mike McHugh, Heroes + Heroines’ freshman vinyl features “Two Weeks,” which bursts forth from silence as a gush of love letter lyrics delivered with California ease. Typical Heroes + Heroines kick hop rhythms propel me around my living room till a round of fuck-me male harmonies finds me melting into the floor. This A-side has me dancing carefree as can be to Tony Infante’s bewitching Farfisa organ as it chugs along with Gabe Diaz’ timeless rhythms. Nick Gil’s Rickenbacker 360 comes in near the end to take me to the beach for just a moment before making me get up and flip over the record. “Busy Bee,” a newer song, is a dynamic foil for the A-side. A mellower, moodier jam, “Busy Bee” demonstrates colorful yet sincerely emotive vocal expression and minimalist rhythmic play. And then the guitar comes in with that melody that tickles your memory bone juuuuust right … The breakdown is where it’s at—Infante’s organ comes in for party-time with a lil’ tambo in the background for good measure. Native Californians playing since high school, Heroes + Heroines navigate nostalgia while remaining creatively current. Channeling recent heroes Thee Makeout Party but reaching back as far as those pre-British Invasion American party poppers the Rivieras, Heroes + Heroines is here to stay—so they can make all your Spring Break dreams come true!

—Drew Denny