Cassettes – Wild Heart

Matt DiStefano, lead singer and guitarist for Casettes, describes Wild Heart as “our love letter to the FM era and recalls pop radio of the 70s, 80s and 90s while keeping its feet firmly planted in the modern day”. To my ears, it’s pure pop with a punk kick in the ass.

DiStefano spent some time in Syracuse NY so its no surprise that one can hear a bit of the Salt City’s favorite sons, The Flashcubes, in the band’s sound. For those who remember the uber-catchy 90’s NJ pop punk band Evelyn Forever, you may find a similarity there, too.

“She Gets What She Wants” is straight-up power pop and the kind of catchy single that immediately grabs your attention. It’s a guitar driven tune that recalls the girl-centric titles of the 80’s while bouncing along to a beat that fits the genre and period very well. Like any good pop punk record, “I Wanna Know” delivers pop hooks at warp speed.

I particularly like “One Million Guitars”. The opening piano launches into a celebration of guitar crunch, creating a really pleasing juxtaposition. There’s more radio friendly guitar crunch with “Born in the 90’s” and “Love Songs on the Radio” has as catchy a chorus as you’ll hear anywhere.

Cassettes are Matt DiStefano on vocals/guitar, Jim Fox on guitar, Chris Hill on keys/vocals, Joe Robinson on bass and Sean Ward on drums. 

Wild Heart is a strong debut so I’m really looking forward to what’s next for the band. You can get Cassette’s Wild Heart at their bandcamp page or at Amazon.