The Lonely H – “Waiting on a Broken Heart” (video) (PopMatters Premiere)

“Waiting on a Broken Heart” showcases these new influences with longing pedal steel and soft country harmonies. Meanwhile “Love Her Anyways” is a classic power pop song interwoven with strains of classic Springsteenesque American rock. What do these tunes and the rest on the band’s new self-titled album have in common? Killer hooks. Melodies and choruses that sound like instant hits, while lodging in your head on auto-replay.

Front man Mark Fredson tells us about their approach on this record: “We still are heavily influenced by the music of the ’60s and ’70s. But, we don’t attach ourselves at the hip to it like you could say we did on our third record, Concrete Class. In this case, I think the songwriting is more mature, with more attention paid to lyrical content. When writing the songs, I placed a huge emphasis on hooks and big, memorable choruses, which is something I’ve never seen through nearly as much in the past. Also, with the addition of a second guitarist, Zach Setchfield, you get a special sort of Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards guitar interplay that is hard to come by in modern music.”