Coed Lakeland quintet The Dark Romantics' second full-length for Louisiana-based Lujo Records, Heartbreaker, teems with the kind of dramatic, light-and-shadow sexiness that makes people either love or loathe soft-core. The band's Cinemax-tic dance-rock is driven by the sultry vocals of frontman Eric Collins. He croons come-ons over muscular guitars juxtaposed with keyboards that show he's in touch with his feminine side. The record, which dropped Sept. 9, is built around the three-part title track, which finally reaches a satisfying climax on its final segment. It's a simple lyric built around a basic beat, guitar riff and orchestral swell — the falsetto vocal far from original — but it works in a randy way nonetheless. The band plays this hometown gig before embarking on a national tour.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2008.