What happens if you mix Indie Rock with Alternative and add a generous layer of Pop? You get Empty Heart by Gran Noir from Zürich, Switzerland. The lead singer, Pascal Schulz shares exclusively for Blue Rhymez Entertainment: “The song is about my children. They, like all kids, annoy me from time to time. But the moment those little monsters fall asleep and I stand next to their bed, the only thing I feel is unconditional love.”
In all honesty, you’d never think this song could have been inspired by a child. Or two for that matter. That engulfing love you’re about to discover as you experience the song, lands like the promised love-of-a-lifetime we’ve all been daydreaming about since childhood. What if that love is something only a parent could give us as shown by Gran Noir in Empty Heart? A scary thought that’s intricately woven with a gorgeous Rock-based instrumental of ginormous commercial proportions. In simple words? It f*cking slaps.
Ta-da-da-da, and on a lower note with added swag, ta, pause, ta-da-da-da. Nope, that’s not anyone’s voice. That’s the guitar singing the first notes of Empty Heart. The instrument is electrifying and simultaneously rickety leaving the audience in suspense. Will it collapse or will it soar?
And the right answer is: it will establish the core mood of the record, a beautiful push-and-pull from start to end. I would hail a fall or bullets/ To see you smile, I’d run through stone/ Forgive my thoughts of before/ Sometimes I slide, forget, sings Pascal Schulz. The romanticized reality of messing up and feeling guilty unfolds charmingly. The singer’s voice, albeit in the higher male register, fits perfectly with the overall ensemble of Empty Heart. It has a feel-good hue to it and pretty quick you find yourself in the middle of it all with a happy foot tapping on the floor.
The pre-hook is one convivial motherf*cker. Then I feel that glow/ Swear I’d never press restart/ Let me check the error of my ways/ Yeah I feel that glow, you’re the light inside my heart/ Again (and again x4), amps up the atmosphere Pascal Schulz. Who would have thought that Zürich hosts hitmakers? Because ladies and gents, this is the type of record you only need to tune into once and you’re hooked. Point. Blank. Period.
Sing along: Oh my heart was empty (but now)/ Because of you, I begin to cry/ Oh my heart was empty (but now)/ Because of you, I could learn to fly. Now good luck getting rid of this earworm because we’re still hooked on it. And the first time we heard this song was a week ago. You’re allowed to say you’re in trouble.
The chorus of Empty Heart is the ingredient that cements the validity and radio quality of Gran Noir. It is phenomenal, enlightening, vivid, painfully catchy, and it just might be the best Indie Rock bit you’ll have heard in 2022.
The “cooldown” is represented by that guitar from the intro but this time around, it delves further into its playful side with higher pitch variations at the end of each bar. Yum yum.
The second verse is short, I was free before, you changed me/ It’s in your eyes I don’t need (more), and only acts as a break before Empty Heart goes for the kill again with its contagious pre-hook, hook structure.
Following the bridge, I’ve tried before I, might again to give you more than just my arms/ Failed before, not again, the song delivers a loud last chorus and you hit play again. This song is a vice and not a piece of music.
Gran Noir communicates with ease the bonafide feelings of secure, unconditional love through the impeccable Indie Rock instrumentation of Empty Heart accompanied by the worthy-of-envy lyrics dedicated to the children of the lead singer.
Song Credits: Pascal Schulz – Lead Singer, Songwriter; Nils Ebding – Drum Player; Matthias Kampmann – Guitar Player; Fabian Hermann – Guitar Player; Phil Wüest – Bass Guitar Player; Philippe Laffer – Songwriter, Music Producer, Sound Engineer; Philipp Welsing – Mastering Engineer.
Make sure you support Gran Noir by streaming the breathtaking Empty Heart on Apple Music HERE, on Amazon Music HERE, on Deezer HERE, on YouTube Music HERE, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
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