Math and Physics Club - Our Hearts Beat Out Loud

  by Fiona Hutchings

published: 17 / 12 / 2013

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Review

Back in 2010 I described the Math and Physics Club as having "a style of (their) own and not just a mish mash of borrowed hooks and handclaps." This, their third album, could be described as the logical continuation from that refreshing and sunny record. Many of the new tracks including 'We Won't Keep Secrets' and 'We Didn't Run From Anyone' feature deceptively innocent noodling, and ensure the continued comparisons to Belle and Sebastian. That is not to say that these 10 tracks are simply more of the same the mix of styles, from the country guitars of 'My Crooked Arms' to fast paced drums of 'That's What Love Is'. The first single 'Long Drag' is guitar driven with echos of Placebo around the edges and a pretty funky bass line complimented with those handclaps I have come to expect. 'I Know It's Over' is remarkably upbeat for a break up song. 'We're Not Lost' is a tight and polished ode to teenage heartache, and the album closes with a beautiful piano and cello heavy track entitled 'Road Carry Me Home.' 'Our Hearts Beat Out Loud' is released on vinyl as well as CD, and the band's goal was to make an old fashioned album with two distinct sides, but I'm not sure I can quite detect that on CD. Perhaps if I go out and buy the vinyl release it will make more of an impact. The band recorded the album in Olympia's Dub Narcotic Studio, and took advantage of the vintage analog equipment with the intention of achieving a less digitally perfect sound in favour of a more rustic 'band in a room' sound. I am not sure they have succeeded on that score either. The finished product isn't auto tuned and smoothed into humdrum background noise, but neither does it sound rough around the edges at all. This album benefits from repeated listening. There is no immediate stand out track, no hook that reels you in straight away but persevere and it rewards you handsomely. 2014 marks 10 years of Math and Physics Club. Here is to ten more.

Track Listing:-

1 We Won't Keep Secrets
2 Tied to a Stone
3 We're Not Lost
4 Long Drag
5 My Crooked Arms
6 We Didn't Run from Anyone
7 I Know It's Over
8 Thank God I Met You
9 That's What Love Is
10 Road Carry Me Home

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/mathandphysic
http://www.mathandphysicsclub.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/Math+and+Phys

Label Links:-

http://matineerecordings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/matineerecord