In August, Mariel Loveland wrote a Billboard article about what it’s like to stop touring and adjust to a “stable, stationary life.” I found it to be such a gripping article; what seems monotonous in my life becomes a rollercoaster ride for touring artists & I was completely along for the ride. While the adjustment period may have been difficult, the time at home clearly paid off. It gave Loveland the space to explore a new sound, transitioning Candy Hearts into indie pop magic with Best Ex. Take a listen to their latest single “Bad Love” released via No Sleep Records below!
The left turn away from pop punk may come as a shock to those who caught Candy Hearts touring with bands like State Champs or listened to their music produced by Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory. Loveland chalks this up to adapting to her own tastes. Working with producer Andy Tongren of Camden Welles, the duo created something that sounded more like the music in her head. Listening to the two incarnations back to back is startling but on its own, the new sound feels entirely natural.
We had this gritty, raw energy that I always tried to harness as our superpower. Now, while it’s not exactly the same, lyrically though, we still exist in the same realm. There’s that heartbreak, that rawness, and that tongue-in-cheek demeanour because if I can’t laugh about the sheer amount of times my heart has been broken, I don’t know how I’d survive.
Mariel Loveland
And new music is only one thing we have to look forward to. The band will finally be returning to the stage after 18+ months away from performing live. “It’s a bit scary getting back out there again, but we all really miss the stage so much,” she says. “We really, really miss touring, so we’re doing everything we can to line some things up after we release some more music. It’s muscle memory, right? We got this!”
