Not too long ago, the boys of Tallhart (called Marksmen at the time and still playing with former drummer Reed Murray) were the go-to local openers for indie alt rock tours passing through the Tampa Bay area. But with time to hone their gracefully powerful folk-imbued sound, and after inking a deal with Rory/Equal Vision Records (landed after they caught the attention of Say Anything’s Max Bemis), it seems the current trio (frontman Matt Segallos, bassist Glenn Espinoza and guitarist Christopher Brickman) has finally made it. Sophomore full-length We Are the Same proves Tallhart is worthy of headliner status.
Recorded in LA with producer Brad Wood (Sunny Day Real Estate, Smashing Pumpkins), tracked in Tampa at Red Room Studios, We Are the Same offers more instrumental dimension and lyrical depth than last year’s Sister of Mine, a balanced dynamic of soft tender sentiment and harder faster-paced drive that finds Segallos’ buttery vocals emoting refrains, wailing choruses or layered in hymnal choir-like harmonies and swirling melodies. While some may be quick to characterize it as radio-rock, We Are the Same holds onto to the band’s indie edge. After a summer-long tour with From Indian Lakes, Tallhart returns home for an official celebration of the album’s release.
Details: Tallhart CD Release Show with Goodnight Neverland, Makari, Lions After Dark, Sat., Aug. 10, 7 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $11.
