Former Muncie Girls leader shines with great songs and harmonies on her second solo album, LANDE HEKT Sometimes with artists you just need the right entry point. Exeter indie punks Muncie Girls passed me by; likewise with singer/bassist Lande Hekt’s 2021 solo debut, But when Lande, now based out of Brighton, released a fantastic cover of The Wedding Present’s “Seamonsters’ standout “Octopussy” she had my attention. “House Without A View” follows in much the path as “Going to Hell”, full of expertly crafted, jangly indie pop that really showcases what a wonderful songwriter she is. Also, what a voice. Her crystal clear pipes cut through Muncie Girls’ fuzzy punk with ease but it’s more of a natural fit here where her lilt is given more nuanced backing on these 11 songs that range from acoustic folk-rock to glistening shoegazy numbers to strummy, snarling guitar pop.
Her lyrics are vulnerable — “I’m not someone who works at lightning speed/ I’m not even someone who knows what I need,” she sings on on the jaunty “Backstreet Snow” — but there is strength in her delivery that makes it clear she’s working things out, thank you very much. Listening to “House Without a View”, I keep thinking of the late Kirsty MacColl who made similarly smart, tuneful pop 35 years earlier and who also had a way with ethereal harmonies that can lift you six inches off the ground.
The second full-length solo offering from Muncie Girls leader Lande Hekt effectively follows up last year’s equally impressive “Going To Hell.” This record is filled with often intimate ’90s-style alt-rock with quite personal lyrics. There’s immense joy in key single “Gay Space Cadets” and touching sadness in the breakup energy of “Half of You.” “Backstreet Snow” and “Cut My Hair” are the kind of songs that would have gotten loads of airplay in 1997, while “Lola” is a strong character study where Hekt sings, “You’re really nothing like me/ I wonder how we are built so differently.” Her delivery is always warm and engaging.
released September 23rd, 2022
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