Today, Filipino-American artist/producer Cold Hart has released his haunting new single, “Bag of Hearts.”
It’s the latest single from his upcoming album, Pretty In the Dark, which will be released on May 17th via Epitaph Records.
A morbid profession of infatuation with themes of the occult, “Bag of Hearts” sonically references industrial post-punk with dark atmospheric production that fuses a heavy low end and layered melancholic melodies. On the poignancy of the song’s title, Cold Hart reveals, “It doubles as a metaphor for when you love someone so hard that everyone else becomes meaningless,” hence the hook; “A bag of hearts I throw away”.
Listen to “Bag of Hearts” below and pre-order Pretty In the Dark here.
Something new for Cold Hart on Pretty In the Dark is him relinquishing some of his creative control. This was easier to do being accompanied by legendary producer, engineer, and mixer Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Code Orange). Alongside longtime collaborator and fellow GBC member, YAWNS, Cold Hart struck the balance between his past, present, and future. “Working with Andrew and YAWNS together really pushed me to try out new things on this album,” he says. “I really wanted it to have a feeling of familiarity at the same time.”
Drawing inspiration from goth icons such as The Cure and Lebanon Hanover, on Pretty In The Dark Cold Hart pairs dark trap leanings of Atlanta producers like Metro Boomin, with a diet of 80’s punk and 90’s RnB consumed as a kid. His retroactive discovery of bands like Brand New and Saves the Day only further enhanced his vision. As delicate pianos and vast guitar-led abysses make way for the familiar comfort of rumbling bass and 808s, layered harmonies and soaring falsettos clear a path for his most vulnerable collection yet.
Alongside a boisterous crew (including Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Horse Head, Lil Peep, Døves, Fish Narc, YAWNS, Mackned, Lil Tracy, and JPDreamthug), Cold Hart helped usher 2000’s rock nostalgia into the modern Soundcloud age. While he fondly looks back at his old material as a time capsule of a distant past that shaped his rich future, his new record Pretty In The Dark takes one step closer to the hazy post-punk world that he has built around him.
Artwork:
Track-listing:
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Rap Show
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Bag of Hearts
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What Remains
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Pretty In The Dark
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Bold Riley
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My Tasks Alone
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Bottle Run Dry
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Light Headed feat. BONES