Hearts in Pencil are an unsigned, late-teen, four piece from Oxford. Although most of us spent our teenage years in various bedroom punk bands, the band have only been playing together since the final days of the summer of 2008, but have already achieved some success on the local circuit, as well as having had two self released single/eps.

Our Influences….. I think it’s fair to say we’re all utter music freaks, and draw on a huge range of influences, that hopefully adds distinction and dynamism to our catalogue of songs. Our sound may typically be described as indie, but our live set has drawn comparisons to ska, punk and even soul. Our cited influences are bands/artists who have inspired us by their originality and who pioneered their own sound, mainly; The Smiths, Joy Division, Kate Bush, The Doors, The Cure, Bowie, Dylan, The Beatles, Diana Ross and many more. Despite this, at least two of our members confess to also enjoying listening to dance music…. but that may simply be their need to party!

Gigging experience…. We have been well-received on live outings around Oxford. We often have gig offers from around the city and are excited about extending our live experience. We have played at venues such as the O2 Academy, The Jericho tavern and The Wheatsheaf, supporting established local acts like: Borderville, Little Fish, The Delta Frequency and Flamboyant Bella. Our live set includes several of the tracks from the two demos, as well as an extensive range of newer songs that further highlight our diversity and energy we feel when we come together to play.

“Bright young Witney starlets in the making Hearts In Pencil with their evolving style of swaggering indie punk ska with swooping riffs, crashing choruses and urban commentary. Watch out.”

Studio projects….
Our first demo, ‘Had To Watch the Days Go Cold’ was recorded as a three piece only a few weeks into our life as a band, two of the songs practically being arranged during the studio session. Nevertheless, the demo was held in high regard by Artocker Magazine, who hosted one track ‘A Place Called Pandemonium’ as a free download from their website homepage, whilst Nightshift Magazine gave it an encouraging review. Two tracks also achieved airplay and a commendation from Tim Bearder and David Gilyeat on BBC Radio Oxford’s ‘Introducing’ show.

‘Hannibal Ad Portas’ and ‘Bigger Games/Better Days’ are our second set of recordings, recorded at the start of this year. By this time the band had found a permanent bassist and had adopted a more focused, cohesive approach to writing and recording. Recorded at Runway Studios near Aylesbury, we hope these tracks reflect what we perceive to be a marked improvement and development of the promise of its predecessor. The cd of the tracks will be on sale (for minimal cost) in some local record stores as well as at our gigs. It will also be available to download from most of the usual online stores from August 10th.

Hannibal Ad Portas is Latin for ‘Hannibal at the Gates’, it was an ancient roman expression of fear or dread and is still in use today. Hannibal himself was a classical commander of the Carthaginian Empire who very nearly achieved in conquering Rome at the height of its power. The song itself mirrors this story against more modern feelings of social apprehension and frustration. The basis came from a lengthy jam which put us in more of a psycadelic, progressive direction than we had attempted before. Later, string sections and synth lines were added (many performed by our good friend Joe Weller from Oxford band Tristan and the Troubadours) and the song was given further energy and driven into a heavier sound

Bigger Games/Better Days is a song about relationship breakdown and generally feelings of self-pity and regret. It features another friend of ours, Bryony Cunningham on vocals to offer a different lyrical viewpoint on the same relationship. It was first written as a wholly acoustic song, but became a more complex arrangement before being stripped down again. The final quarter of the song was largely thought up in the studio to add variation and a clear climax.

We hope you enjoy the CD and would appreciate any feedback at all. Thank you.