Discography

Description

Renee Heartfelt were a band ahead of their time. While thats possibly an all-too-often used excuse for why a band goes unnoticed until long after breaking up, it truly feels justified in this instance. Formed by musicians who had cut their teeth in a list of bands that reads like a whos who of late 90s / early 2000s hardcore, this time around they were taking a familiar turn towards the more melodic and less aggressive. The music they created captured the essence of post-hardcore, quite literally: these songs could only be created by those with a strong working knowledge of hardcores most potent elements, matched with a love for a broader palette of outside influences.

After releasing an impressive EP, 2004s Magdalene, the band entered the studio with Matt Squire, not yet the pop producer with credits on tracks by Ariana Grande and One Direction. When Renee Heartfelt began recording their lone full length Death of The Ghost with Squire, he had just finished working on what would be his watershed effort, Panic At The Discos A Fever You Cant Sweat Out. Needless to say, his production ear was on the cusp of being noticed by bigger artists and labels, and that quality is evident on the Renee Heartfelt recordings.

But this story doesnt have a happy ending. Death of The Ghost was released in 2005 while Renee Heartfelt struggled to find their audience. Touring tended to be alongside hardcore bands, with finding sonically similar artists proving nearly impossible. There were the random one-off dates, including supporting Walking Concert, but the wave of enthusiasm for this purest form of post-hardcore hadnt yet swept through; only a few years later, bands like Title Fight and Balance & Composure would begin creating similarly influenced music that succeeded where Renee Heartfelt never could. In the face of the realities of life and members finding other outlets for their creativity, the band ultimately faded away.

Yet, in the intervening 15 years, Renee Heartfelt has built an almost cult-like following, some among them lucky enough to have seen the band play, but an even larger number whom discovered their music too late. And with only a few of their songs ever making it to vinyl, 6131 Records has unearthed this phenomenal music for a proper discography release on limited edition double LP. The collection features all the the complete EP and LP recordings, as well as four additional rare or never-before-released songs, all newly remastered and sounding better than ever. The hope being that a whole new wave of fans will discover this incredible music that has been overlooked for far too long.

Members of Cloak/Dagger, Count Me Out, American Nightmare/Give Up The Ghost, Striking Distance, Memorial, Trial By Fire, Time Flies, etc.

Includes a previously unreleased album outtake, plus a rare acoustic live performance of three songs

Remastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege for this collection

All but three songs never before on vinyl