By INESSA // Outlaws! Right here in River City! Time to get to the bottom of what Nate Wallace, the mastermind of the lyrics for Hearts of Oak, has floating in his head. Then, the band gets to work to structure out how the music and melody will play out. New album just floated out. Time for Moves!
Portland, Oregon is the kind of town that welcomes into its midst so many different genres of music. Lucky us! That includes Hearts of Oak. Front man Nate Wallace has a deep affinity for many different artists that have influenced him.
“We’re a band that has two modes: classic songwriting in the country and folk style, and a noise/drone-psychedelic sound,” states Wallace. “I bring to mind late Dylan, Bonnie Prince Billy, and Magnolia Electric Co. The rest of the band kind of sounds like Spacemen 3, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Sleep, Träd, and Gräs & Stenar. Those two styles form a unique sound.”
Ezra, on electric guitar, adds that it’s all Nate but def a two-way street for the band as a whole. In our conversation, we had the opportunity to dig deeper into what makes the band “move”. Both the roots of who they are and what is happening on the new album Moves. A sweet, dark November evening as we break down some of the descriptors used when speaking about Hearts of Oak: “shoe-gazer country”, and “singer-songwriter with a druggy, psychedelic band”. Let’s dive in!