Heartless Bastards is an American garage rock band formed in Ohio in 2003.<… Read Full Bio ↴Heartless Bastards is an American garage rock band formed in Ohio in 2003.

The bands' story starts in Dayton, Ohio, where Wennerstrom found the name on a multiple choice video trivia game at a bar.

As a songwriting teenager during a time when Guided by Voices and Brainiac were packing local bars and three of the Breeders were still in town, Wennerstrom used to sneak into clubs to check out the scene. "I would just see those people—my music heroes—hanging out at the bar like everyone else," she remembers. "I could see myself in them. It gave me inspiration to do my own thing."

After doing the usual business of playing local shows, the trio set out the following year on a regional tour. One of the first gigs of the trip took them to a bar in Akron, where the Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney just happened to be one of only a handful of people in the audience. This chance encounter led Wennerstrom and the Heartless Bastards to Fat Possum Records, with whom they released their debut, Stairs and Elevators, in early 2005.

The band moved on with critical praise in their back pocket, including a four-and-a-half star review from Rolling Stone, which took note that, when Wennerstrom “opens her throat on Stairs and Elevators … she sounds like she’s wailing on the shoulders of giants; her sad and angry vocals channeling all the swagger and spit of a young Robert Plant”

By whatever yardstick you care to measure, it was high time for Erika to get out of Dayton.

In true ascetic discipline, she moved to Austin, Texas in 2007 for a change of inspirational scenery and a new recording project. With the help of producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead), she assembled a group of musicians with whom she gave the songs life and uncovered yet another layer of Wennerstrom and the Heartless Bastards. Two of the new Bastards aren’t Texas ringers, but fellow Dayton brethren Dave Colvin on drums, and Jesse Ebaugh on bass, who actually played on the original demo that hooked Fat Possum, throw in one Austin native on guitar, Mark Nathan and you’ve got a new unstoppable force that “Take the stage and literally knock everybody down” – NY Times review of the Bastards SxSW record release performance.

The Decemberists’ guitarist Chris Funk said, "It's been a few years since I've had a voice on repeat in my mind. This voice seems to arrive in my ears while sound checking, often before the shows on a pre-show play list and after shows too -- the songs are just perfect and the band has found their spots behind this incredible woman. A unique and enduring artist arrived into our world once again."

The album, entitled The Mountain, (released February 2009) delivers the powerful howl that fans expect from the Heartless Bastards, but also weaves in adventure with mandolins, banjos, strings and Erika’s transcendent voice.

Brimming with confidence and creativity, The album Arrow (released February 2012) sees Heartless Bastards pushing their distinctive sound forward with their most eclectic, energetic collection thus far. The album – the Austin, Texas-based band’s first release with Partisan Records – is marked as ever by singer/guitarist/songwriter Erika Wennerstrom’s remarkable voice, at turns primal and pleading, heartfelt and heroic. Songs like “Parted Ways” and the searing “Low Low Low” expertly capture the Bastards’ multi-dimensional rock in all its strength and spirit. Following upon the difficult introspection of 2009′s acclaimed third album, The Mountain, Arrow stands as a powerhouse new beginning for Heartless Bastards.

“The Mountain was me going through some things after being in a relationship for nine years,” Wennerstrom says. ”This album is kind of like me being comfortable again.”

Brazen
Heartless Bastards Lyrics

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And I, I was up past the dawn
Spots of twilight gone
I've been hounded by the wounds that with speak
And spittle bitter tongue

Things eclipsing all the time
For better and worse alike
And I always learn the hard way

An instinct to be true, an instinct to be true

And I'm, gonna tell this world
The only difference now is that I'm vigilant
And I'm, gonna spread my wings
'Cause I am vigilant, not gonna take no shit

And I, I was walking on a fire
Coals beneath my feet
The smoke has risen up
And nearly suffocated me

Things eclipsing all the time
For better and worse alike
I always learn the hard way
An instinct to be true, an instinct to be true

And I'm, gonna tell this world
The only difference now is that I'm vigilant
And I'm, gonna spread my wings
'Cause I am vigilant, not gonna take no shit

And oh, everywhere I go
Taking with that same new feeling with me now
It get me through my ups and downs

And oh, everywhere I go
Taking with that same new feeling with me now
It get me through my ups and downs

I'm wide awake

I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake

Overall Meaning

"Brazen" by Heartless Bastards appears to be a song about perseverance and overcoming adversity. Echoing this sentiment, the song's refrain emphasizes the singer's newfound "vigilance," and her determination not to "take no shit" anymore. The singer describes the trials she has endured, such as being "hounded by wounds," encountering obstacles ("things eclipsing all the time"), and nearly suffocating from being engulfed in smoke. Yet, despite all of these hardships, the singer remains resilient and determined, declaring that she is "wide awake" and prepared to face whatever challenges come her way.

The song's chorus gives an especially defiant tone to the message--the singer is "gonna tell this world" and "spread [her] wings" because she has "an instinct to be true." The combination of these lyrics with the song's heavy, driving rock sound creates a sense of liberation and empowerment. Overall, "Brazen" seems to be aimed at inspiring listeners to embrace their own power and stand up to whatever challenges they face.

Line by Line Meaning

And I, I was up past the dawn
I stayed up very late last night

Spots of twilight gone
Morning has arrived, night has gone

I've been hounded by the wounds that with speak
My painful experiences and memories nag me constantly

And spittle bitter tongue
My negative thoughts and feelings bother me

Things eclipsing all the time
Obstacles in life occur constantly

For better and worse alike
Good and bad things happen to everyone

And I always learn the hard way
I often learn from my mistakes and bad experiences

An instinct to be true, an instinct to be true
A desire to be authentic and honest

And I'm, gonna tell this world
I will speak out and share my experience and opinion

The only difference now is that I'm vigilant
The only thing that changed is that I am more aware and cautious

And I'm, gonna spread my wings
I will take risks and explore new things