Half-Hearted Prepares for Self-Titled Debut with New Single
Photo courtesy of Half-Hearted
Half-Hearted has no plans to slow down their debut, with their latest single “Vicious Cycle” released last month, an ode to the tortures of toxic, yet inescapable love. Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut and positioning themselves as a prominent act in the area, Half-Hearted released their first EP ‘How to be Alone’ in the fall of 2018 while completing their first full US/ Canada tour alongside Secrets. Their previous single, “Eighteen”, debuted in February of 2019 and has since amassed over 100,000 streams.
Formed by Sean Dalke (vocals), Jason Grandell (guitar), Parker Fortune (drums) and Nicolas Viglione (bass), Half-Hearted has only just begun their ascend into the rock scene. With 2019 allowing for a year of writing and recording, the band has completed their self-titled debut album with an anticipated release on March 20th, 2020. I was able to speak to the band about “Vicious Cycle” and their upcoming album, which appears to be their largest venture yet.
FCS: What are you expecting for the upcoming year? A tour? More singles?
HH: Yes, we have a couple more singles being released before the full album drops! Touring-wise, we’re hoping to do some runs later this year! It honestly just depends on how well the album does / where it does well. We’ll play any city that asks for us enough!
FCS: Talk to me a little bit about "Vicious Cycle"- how does it depart from your earlier work? Do you think it is a good reflection of the direction you're moving in as a band?
HH: This whole album is a departure from our earlier work. Our single “Eighteen,” which we dropped in 2019, was the first step in finding our sound. Then, we kinda just took 5 more steps forward with the 12 songs on the album! “Vicious Cycle” is a pretty good representation of the album overall, but there are definitely a few surprises that people might not see coming. The only reason we decided to put that song out first is because it’s very energetic and we knew our older fans would like it, despite the slight change in sound!
FCS: What was it like to embark on that first solo tour in 2018? How have you grown since?
HH: 2018 was kind of our introduction to touring. We did a couple small runs, a week on the final Vans Warped Tour, and then a full US/Canada tour with our friends in Secrets. We were the one rock band opening a tour with all heavy bands for 6+ weeks, and as difficult as it was at times, it was very fun. It taught us how to win over new crowds and it taught us how to survive and problem-solve while living on the road.
FCS: How have other artists impacted/ inspired your work?
HH: We all have so many drastically different influences and they all absolutely have an impact on our music. Between the 4 of us, we listen to anything from hardcore to Jonas Brothers, and that means nothing is off limits! It makes us strive to create something unique and different. We don’t like to be placed in a super specific category. That’s why we call ourselves a rock band. In 2020, the word “rock” can really mean anything.
FCS: What was it like to hit 100k streams for "Eighteen"? How do you plan on replicating this success?
HH: It was such a cool feeling when we saw that. That song got more streams than any song we had released in the past combined. It was a signal to us that we had to keep doing what we were doing and exploring different territory musically! So far, “Vicious Cycle” seems to be getting just as many streams, if not more than “Eighteen” did when we first released it, which is just awesome. We’re just trying to get the album in front of as many new people as possible, and we hope every song can hit 100k, or even more! Fingers crossed!
FCS: Will you be touring the upcoming work in March of this year?
HH: No TOUR plans in March, but we do have a couple album release shows in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, which will be announced soon! Find us on social media so you don’t miss any announcements!
“Vicious Cycle” is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
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