Stitched Up Heart – Never Alone album review

West Coast alt-rockers Stitched Up Heart take themselves too close to the Brink

Stitched Up Heart, Never Alone album cover

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Complete with lyrics penned to inspire the masses and a frontwoman as aesthetically resplendent as she is raw- throated, on paper rising LA alt-rockers Stitched Up Heart tick all of the boxes.

The five-piece encompass that heavy-yet-emotive ethos on their debut full-length, serving up a sound charged with earnest euphoria and vitriolic nuance.

Lush, layered melodies and soaring piano-driven vocals sit alongside crunching downtuned guitars on I Can’t Breathe, while the likes of industrial stomper Turn You On and infectious hook-laden anthem Catch Me When I Fall will surely appeal to fans of In This Moment. Mixi Demner’s aural histrionics veer between achingly serene and gravel-laced rasps, reminiscent of Maria Brink during the Black Widow era – and herein lies the issue. This band wears their influences on their sleeves, but there are moments where artistic reverence could easily be interpreted as imitation. Stitched Up Heart now need to concentrate on establishing their own signature sound in order to avoid flatlining.