Heavens
Patent Pending

THE REVIEW

The Heavens are, or rather were, a side project of Matt Skiba from the Alkaline Trio and Josiah Steinbrick, bassist of the hardcore band F-Minus.

The two musicians wanted to try something new, according to Skiba himself, distancing themselves from the punk of their origin bands, and in 2006 they gave birth to "Patent Pending," the group’s only release.

The album presents itself as an interesting fusion of '80s sounds (with the evident influence of Joy Division) and modern melodies, typically alternative rock.

The typical structure of the tracks, starting with the excellent "Gardens", is characterized by a relentless drum machine, Skiba's low and monotone voice, and electronic synth sounds that create pieces halfway between dark pop and new wave.

From the fast title track "Patent Pending", where a successful riff serves as the backdrop to Skiba's effected vocals, we encounter slower moments ("Heather"), and by passing through the instrumental insert "Doves", we reach the moving "True Hate", which closes the album in a crescendo of dark, melancholic, and full of pathos sounds.

Their intention was certainly not to create something innovative, but rather to give space to those ideas and sounds sacrificed in their respective origin bands.

"Patent Pending", in conclusion, is an extremely enjoyable album, where, among other things, Skiba’s excellent ability to produce introspective lyrics with great emotional impact is once again demonstrated, making them even more effective in this sound setting.