There are bands you discover on a whim and then there are bands you fall madly in love with without looking back. Their lyrics speak your truths, your pains, and your wild, crazy, burning volcanic love. Their mere presence makes you feel seen and their passion inspires you to follow your heart and take care of your own dreams. It only takes a second – a riff, a note, a lyric – to capture the heart of a listener, and once you do that, you’re kindreds for life.
Provo, UT indie-pop quartet, The Aces, won us over immediately with their infectious debut single, “Stuck.” The band – consisting of Cristal Ramirez, Katie Henderson, Alisa Ramirez, and McKenna Petty – released their debut EP, I Don’t Like Being Honest, last summer to critical acclaim and it looks like their first full-length, When My Heart Felt Volcanic, is set to break some records of its own. While they’ve been in the spotlight for a little over two years, they’ve been a band for ten, making their story and tenacity something to aspire to.
As if the album title doesn’t already invoke a rather creative picture inside the mind of a passionate love we’ve experienced at one point or another, album opener, “Volcanic Love,” opens our journey with a bang. While we’re no stranger to the indie-pop genre, I think it’s safe to say that The Aces have mastered it like no other. 80’s-inspired soundscapes wade through the listener’s mind as tales of tainted love fill our storybook with grief while memories of how we thought it should have been play within our heads. Infatuation can be unforgiving sometimes.
Once “Stuck” and the empowering anthem, “Fake Nice,” come into play, you know these girls mean business. Previously released tracks, “Lovin’ Is Bible” and “Just Like That” hold a certain essence to them that can only be explained through the listening – one meant for accepting our differences while the other wades in regret after being taken for granted one too many times.
Every girl needs a grab-a-hairbrush-and-start-a-solo-dance-party song and “Last One” proves to be the winner for that while “Stay,” “Holiday,” and “Strong Enough” invoke vibes of staring up at the stars lighting up the night with someone special. Think: HAIM and Paramore meets 80’s pop queen Tiffany with lots of neon lights and disco balls. Enough said.
Taking on a more edgy vibe, tracks like “Bad Love” and “Put It On The Line” bring things down a notch, even slipping in a much-appreciated ballad in the mix with “Hurricane.” Closing track, “Waiting For You,” just might be the next big contender for a hit within the Aces fan community as a breezy, R&B approach comes into play reminiscent of the 1998 debut from pop girl group, All Saints, or even COIN’s “Malibu 1992.”
It’s especially empowering to witness women kicking ass in the music industry. Growing up, I’d tend to gravitate towards mostly female artists as they were often easier to relate to, and the older I get, the more I appreciate the camaraderie behind women helping women in an industry that often feels as if it’s meant to tear us down. We’re a powerful force and I feel like this is just the beginning – for women in all professions, for dreamers, for creatives. With bands like these, it’s inspiring to see the bright side of what’s to come.
When My Heart Felt Volcanic is available now here.
