heavy on the heart. – “It’s You That Has To Think” EP Review
We know it’s been a while but we are back at writing reviews and promoting brand new music! First up we have Long Island’s newest Melodic Rock band, heavy on the heart. They released their debut EP, “It’s You That Has To Think” on October 19th. This EP has been years in the making and has been well worth the wait! “It’s You That Has To Think” is five tracks that pack a punch and keep you begging for more!
heavy on the heart. Is a four piece band that consists of Nikki Brady (vocals) Costas Themistocleous (guitar), Nick Kolokathis (drums) and Andrew Nicolae (bass). I jumped at the chance to review this EP because these four have been in the Long Island music scene for years and have all proven themselves to be amazing musicians. Costas and Nikki began recording “It’s You That Has To Think” at Sound Acres Studio in September of ’21. While they didn’t anticipate two years between the start of recording and release, the time allowed them to create the perfect record that will surely put them on the map!
“It’s You That Has To Think” begins with “Better Now”. I became an instant fan of this track the second Costas began playing the guitar. That upbeat tempo is infectious and had me bopping along to the beat right away. It is reminiscent of something you’d hear on a track from The Starting Line or The Dangerous Summer! I really like the message behind this song about not settling and continuing to strive to do better. ”When everything around wants to bring you down is when you know you got to go. It’s better now.”
heavy on the heart. continues on this emotion-filled EP with “Toe to Toe”, one of my favorite tracks from the record. I love Nikki’s hard-hitting vocals in the beginning that set the tone for the rest of the track. “Go toe to toe, or shut your mouth and move on, it’s getting old” is such a powerful opening line and that oozes raw emotion. We all can relate to this line. Everyone has had to deal with someone in their life spewing the same nonsense over and over, and Nikki is saying what we all want to say at that moment! As the track goes on, we hit a bridge where Nikki sings, “I’m the one who stood the course, gave everything for all. I’m built to run through enemies, don’t tempt me please move on.” What really stood out to me here is the way the whole band comes together for some face melting instrumentals immediately after. Costas’ nasty guitar riffs match Nick’s intense drumming and Andrew’s amazing bass skills perfectly. These dudes know how to rock!
heavy on the heart. continues on with their most recent single , “Catch Me If I Fall”. I had the chance to speak with Costas and get some insight into the track. “Catch Me If I Fall” is self reflection. Its’ you talking to your younger self and your younger self talking back and reminding you of how far you’ve come and how no matter where you are in life, you should be proud of yourself because life is hard. ‘Catch Me If I Fall’ is a reminder to see beauty in the dark because the light will come out.” This is something I think everyone needs to hear. There are so many times we get overwhelmed, exhausted, defeated, and not wanting to move forward. This is an important and amazing reminder that no matter how it seems, you have accomplished much in life already and can keep pushing on! “Catch Me If I Fall” begins with Nikki singing about reading a journal from her teenage years. She continues on “It’s just poetry, therapeutic to a teen, getting lost filling pages with thought. The anomaly of believing in a dream, scribbled on all the pages and I, see myself on every line within that notebook. I’m reminded why I see myself, en every line within that damn book I’m reminded why I had to escape hell.” I love this line because it encompasses the entire message behind the song. The journal is a reminder of some of the hard times that you may go through, and is a perfect example of how no matter how dark it may get, there is always a light waiting for you. If that doesn’t hook you, check out the music video below!
heavy on the heart. ends “It’s You That Has To Think” with “Wasting” and “Villains”. “Wasting” starts with a mellow guitar strum and Nikki’s beautiful vocals filling your speakers. About a minute in a half in, the band comes in for heavier instrumentals that will have you jumping along. Andrew’s bass line along with Nick’s fast drumming is going to have everyone in the crowd rocking along. Fans are going to fall in love with this song when they hear it live, especially the gang-style vocals at the end that will have them all screaming along! Last but not least is “Villains”. I really liked this choice because it matches the intensity of the intro track, a perfect way to end the record in true heavy on the heart. fashion! In addition to that, it contains my favorite line of the entire EP, “I don’t really see any harm, snoozing through the god damn alarm.” If only we could all live by those words!
“It’s You That Has To Think” is a sick debut EP for a group of musicians that couldn’t be more deserving. heavy on the heart. is a new favorite band of ours on Long Island and they should be on your list too! Make sure you follow them on all social media platforms as they announce shows coming up in the Winter, Spring and Summer! Check out some songs from the EP on our Spotify playlist!