'BACK TO ZERO' TO MORE MUSIC WITH THE BLACK HEARTTHROBS

The Black Heartthrobs are a four-piece melodic garage rock band from Culver City. Punk bassist for Osker (Epitaph), David Benitez switched to vocals/guitar and is joined by Jane Greely, Mark Yates and Diana Salier. David studied songwriting from 70’s power pop icons Peter Case (Plimsouls) and Berton Averre (The Knack). Irreverent lyrics and catchy choruses abound in their indie white collar rock.

How are you living your best life right now?

We are incredibly lucky. Life is amazing. We live in Culver City close to the beach, we have our own recording studio, and we are really happy with the music we are making. Talk to us about your new music!

We just released our new album Back To Zero a few months ago. It features a collaboration with the legendary Peter Case (The Plimsouls, The Nerves). It’s our pandemic album where we wrote over 20 songs during isolation. We limited it to 11 for the album, but we might put out a companion album with all the songs that didn’t make the O.G. When do you know when a song is done, DONE?

A song is done done done when it is released on an album. Before that, anything goes. I usually re-write and edit a song in several iterations before I even present it to the band. Then it can morph into something else during rehearsals and then something else again during recording. Where did the title come from?

The title Back To Zero is a line from the last track Five Dollars. That song is kind of the heart of the album. It touches on everything about being a Heartthrob… being an underdog, meditation, self-doubt, and living in Los Angeles. How did you become inspired to make this song?

I was in a songwriting class via zoom during the pandemic. One of the weekly prompts was to write a song about “the best day of your life.” I snuck that phrase in the lyrics and followed it with “HOLY SHIT!” Done. How did you approach this song vs. songs past?

I usually try to get a little fancy with the chords in my songs. I do that to hide my insecurity. You know… like, “you can’t pick on this song dude. I flatted the 2.” So for this one, I let the chords be simple, just three chords and the truth. The song leans heavily on the lyrics. This is definitely a character song. There’s not much of a narrative, but the subject’s personality unfolds by all the little details in the song. Hopefully people can relate to some of it. Maybe your grandma wanted you to become a priest too. Where do new fans go to follow you?

You can follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. You can also follow us home and we will cook you some warm anti-cancer soup. Where can fans stream and support you?

Support us on Bandcamp and at our live shows. You can stream us pretty much anywhere. Sportify, right? What are you most excited about the new single?

We were very excited to put out our single Long Cold Summer (for Roy Loney). It’s the Peter Case collaboration. We were very lucky to work with Gerry Donahoe on the video. He had a great vision for it and he was great to work with. A beautiful man. Can you leave us with some inspiration for our audience and how they can live their best lives?!

Meditate in the morning. Write and play music. Don’t be a dick. Socials and how and where to follow YOU along your best life! The Black Heartthrobs website – https://theblackheartthrobs.bandcamp.com/ Our latest video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRShndhgjLs Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBlackHeartthrobs