My Heart the Brave is the project of Copenhagen-based producer Caspar Hesselager, who just recently got back from playing his Roskilde Festival debut. His reputation is growing in Denmark and beyond, with a sound reminiscent of an amped-up Hot Chip crossed with the synth-pop experimentation of Matmos. Hesselager’s vocals are quite similar to those of Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, who often alternates between understated dreaminess and gleeful exhilaration. Hesselager’s musical arsenal seems more diverse, though. His most popular track so far, “Keep Me From It”, applies a hectic dabbing of Afro-pop chiming and loose percussion under melodic vocal leads that swap between subdued lyrical pushes and wordless croons. In similarly eclectic form, “Temper” blends the ’80s synth-rock vibes of Ford & Lopatin with Matmos-like dirty synth intros.
The results throughout My Heart the Brave’s new EP are riveting, especially on efforts like the aforementioned “Keep Me From It” and “Temper”. Still, my favorite may be “Hurricane”, a dizzying and infectious anthem that rides on a big fat, warbly synth that proves a perfect accompaniment to Hesselager’s alternating subdued/exhilarated vocal deliveries. That dreamy piano interlude in the middle is killer, too. I love the overall vibe of “Hurricane”, and My Heart the Brave’s new EP in general. Stream it in full below:
