One night back in April, Your Heart Breaks transformed cluttered
bike shop 20/20 Cycle into a NASA space shuttle hurtling to the moon or
beyond. They played a great set, full of sweet and touching pop songs,
but it was their final number, “God Speed John Glenn,” a song about
space travel and growing up in a broken home, that launched the
show, fittingly, out of this world.
Everyone in the band and the crowd sang the refrain, “all of us from
broken homes,” together, over and over, with no instruments playing. It
was definitely an emotional moment. Singer Clyde Petersen has a knack
for writing love songs that catch you by surprise and force you
to reflect on your own heartbreaks. The band’s songs—glimmering
ballads about falling in and out of love—are almost too pretty.
Still, there’s just something about Your Heart Breaks that feels easy
to relate to.
Concerts at the Central District shop are rare events, but hopefully
they’ll become more frequent in the future. In the meantime, Your Heart
Breaks will be opening for Casiotone for the Painfully Alone on
Saturday, May 31, at the Vera Project.
As CFTPA, solo performer Owen Ashworth writes songs that make you
drudge through past pains—depressing, maybe, but also
therapeutic when times are tough. A favorite for when I’m feeling low
is “Tonight Was a Disaster,” off of the amazing album Pocket
Symphonies for Lonesome Subway Cars. It’s a chilling drone about
going out dancing, hearing a song that reminds you of an
ex-boyfriend, feeling overwhelmed by memories, and leaving the club
bawling in the back of a taxi.
Both bands grapple with the darker and more complicated sides of
love, but while the music may be emotionally heavy, Saturday night is
sure to be a good time—a night out at the Vera is always better
than another night spent painfully alone at home. 