Friday 21 September 2018

Purple Heart Parade - Lonestar EP


Even The Stars favourites Purple Heart Parade return with a stunning four track EP on an equally stunning slab of white and purple vinyl. Stuart Ralston relishes reviewing a record on his favoured four-track EP format, and what an EP it is.

Purple Heart Parade have been wowing audiences now for over five years. The Lonestar EP, their first record for Club AC30, is a mesmerising experience.

Kicking off with The Room, a blissed out epic, it allows the listener to escape and immerse themselves in a psychedelic haze. One of their oldest live songs, it loses none of its charm in the studio. A solid, pulsating rhythm section from Ste Woods and Chris Norwood drives The Room along whilst guitarists Ryan Arnfield and Sam Bugajski augment the piece with some delicate touches of magic.

Back in July, we reviewed lead track Mission Hills and said the song perfectly captures the essence of Purple Heart Parade, dreamy atmospherics drowning in reverb with Peter Cowap's vocals fighting their way out of the mist and lifting the listener. A song that's dedicated to a close friend that lost their life in the Manchester Arena bombing. It's a personal tribute that also deals with emotional distance in a relationship.



There's a fragility, an optimism and a euphoria created on Mission Hills before the epic Butterfly's House takes over. You sense that actually there is no lead track on this record as all pieces have been equally lovingly crafted for our listening pleasure.

Clocking in at nearly six minutes, final track Lonestar for me is Purple Heart Parade at their best although it easy to make a case for all of the tunes presented here. Featuring a simple, repetitive riff, yet Lonestar assaults your senses every time you play it. Even after continual plays, you can hear something new every time.  When the ep ends, and your stereo falls silent, the room feels like an empty place, such as the power that Purple Heart Parade bring with them.

The Lonestar EP is a massive leap forward from the wonderful A Minutes Silence At Weatherfield County compilation EP that we reviewed back in March. The production on this EP is just incredible. At times, Purple Heart Parade are reminiscent of the majestic World of Twist whilst also conjuring up the sounds of early Spiritualized. Purple Heart Parade don't write songs, they create epic soundtracks. Everyone we know who has heard the Lonestar ep has fallen in love with it and you should too.

Purple Heart Parade are on Facebook and Twitter.

The EP can be ordered from Club AC30's website and is available in most indie stores and is also available on iTunes and Spotify.
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