Starting as a solo musical endeavor by guitarist/songwriter, Shawn Gardiner, Brogues from NYC, has built big potential, with the hooks, and a great mix of songs that have created this debut album, Heart and Song. A heartfelt, punk-influenced record that is filled with insanely poppy songs beaming with honesty, soul and emotion that get years of listening and appreciation.
Featuring ex-members of Morning Glory (Fat Wreck Chords), the musicianship feels both seasoned while harboring that raw intensity that you can only find on a debut album. Gardiner, whose songwriting history ranges from some of the earlier Crime in Stereo releases to the more recent, Morning Glory’s War Psalms and Post War Psalms, has spun together an album of honesty that isn’t seen in punk lyrics these days. The record bombards you with hook after hook. With the feel of Jawbreaker, Alkaline Trio you can also hear the influences that go deep to Northern Soul, Morrissey and Ted Leo.
When cruising through the record, you can hear diverse influences from all over the underground. Tinges of Gardiner’s upbringing of 90’s Long Island Hardcore in the moody “In A Foreign Land” on to the straight punk influence of “Cruel World” are clearly apparent. Throughout the album you hear love songs that are both hopeful but clearly come from being broken hearted, like the melancholy “Loner’s Rock” and “Heartbreak Club”. While it may be simple, it’s eventful when a record is made with this many emotional, great songs that are strung together on a single record.
