When it comes to live shows, Heartless Bastards bassist Jesse Ebaugh has said he wants nothing less than what he calls "rock'n'roll communion." With their fifth studio album, it's safe to bet that the quartet will have little trouble eliciting an energy of '70s-era Thin Lizzy proportions. Erika Wennerstrom has always possessed the kind of powerhouse vocals that electrify a crowd, and the atmosphere of Restless Ones lives up to that intensity.
Heartless Bastards' previous releases tackled classic country themes—lonesomeness, wanderlust—and their new record is no different. "Eastern Wind" is the prime road trip anthem, though, and maybe the most well-constructed track. It's a twangy rock'n'roll song that dips into psych rock when thunderous solos and percussion attacks feel that they might take over. But Heartless Bastards know when to rein it in, and the song's structure stays intact. This is more than can be said for "Journey", which is burdened by unwieldy layers of clashing guitars. The latter also contains some of the album's weakest lyrics ("Oh now it's suddenly clear/ The journey is the destination").
Wennerstrom's voice is just as exquisitely engaging in its world-weary twang as always. There are a few lines that err on the cheesy side, but hearing her moan lines like "I'm an open wound" among twinkling strings on "The Fool" makes it easier to forgive them. Her most rewarding songwriting is found on honky-tonk ballad "Pocket Full of Thirst", when she wistfully croons, "I set myself on fire/ And I jumped into the lake/ Disguised myself as someone else/ So you could not break me." Wennerstrom is a blues singer through and through, soaking up as much heartache as she can bear, and the track is a refreshing break from the jumble of competing guitars on the rest of the album.
Restless Ones establishes Heartless Bastards as a straightforward arena-rock band, one that's grown more refined with time. The production value shows, which works for and against them simultaneously. Fans of their original lo-fi, garage-rock approach will be disappointed to find that even the grittier guitars sound pristine and polished. But this is a band that was born to be heard via massive, blaring speakers, using their colossal sound to fill every corner of a cavernous stadium. In that respect, it's hard to begrudge them for fulfilling their destiny.
