EP Review: Heidi Klum's Bangs-The Fireworks Fall Like Flowers

Confidence is not necessarily a trait I would associate with Heidi Klum's Bangs. That isn't an insult, there is just such a confessional, heart-on-the-sleeve characteristic to the band (vocals especially) that just don't explicitly assert that trait. But with The Fireworks Fall Like Flowers EP, the band has started to push themselves further than they ever have before now.

On the surface the surface it doesn't appear like much has changed with Heidi Klum's Bangs. Zach and Dylan Beck are still crafting lovely post-Elephant 6 tunes filled with tinkering bells, simple acoustic guitar, and soaring trumpet. "The Tress Unveil the Stars", the EP's lead off track, also easily captures the band's lyrical love of communicating love and tendency towards sprawl. However, something shifts with the rest of the EP after that track. The second track "April (7:43)" has a leisurely vibe to it, just jogging along as it all spills out. It's the most relaxed and casual the band has ever sounded, with the trumpets serving as a complement to the verses rather than the usual core instrument Heidi Klum's Bangs usually utilizes it for. The Fireworks Fall Like Flowers then progress into the title track, its longest track and obvious centerpiece. Split into two distinct parts, it shifts from their most full bodied song as the drums, trumpet, and guitar fill up everything to a second section that is incredibly moving as Zack Beck's vocals become strained as he tries to express his love for someone over the crashing drums and ringing bells. It's the most powerful the band has ever been, and that's saying a lot for a band that has always put such emotion into all their songs.

It also crystallizes the main quality of the EP, which is it gives Heidi Klum's Bangs the ability to stretch and expand their sound. No song is under four minutes here, and the album closer almost reaches the seven minute mark as well. "(11:11)" opens with vocal drone before unfolding into a lovely instrumental (completely with Casio synth lines) that folds perfectly into the rest of the EP. "All in All", the aforementioned album closer, might be the band’s moodiest piece to date. With a quivering drum beat and sporadic fellow instrumentation, the track creates this wonderful melancholy sense to it, a purely winter-esque of admiring the world while the world is bleak as well. It captures the collective essence of The Fireworks Fall Like Flowers, while at the same time showing how Heidi Klum’s Bangs have evolved from their debut album Placer Pier. It’s lovely indie pop that is slowly becoming at little more moody, a little more lush, and a little more beautiful.



Links:

Heidi Klum's Bangs' Facebook
Buy The Fireworks Fall Like Flowers EP here, from the band themselves