Faith and Credit is the fourth full-length release by The Human Hearts, the Queens-and-Brooklyn indie combo fronted by indie veteran Franklin Bruno (Nothing Painted Blue, The Extra Glenns/Lens), and their first for New Jersey’s Dromedary Records. Recorded and mixed by jangle-pop legend Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Game Theory, his own Let’s Active) at his own Fidelitorium Studio in North Carolina, the album’s 13 songs (10 on vinyl, 3 CD/download-only) range from propulsive, Yo La Tengo/Clean-styled drone (lead single “Still in Error”) and post-punk art-funk (“A Different City for a Different Light”) through polished roots-pop (“Boring Postcards”) and the horn-driven Motown/Mersey stomp of the five-minute title track – not to mention harder-to-peg hybrids. Wire meets Squeeze? The Fall cover Some Girls? And why is the fastest, noisiest song the only one with a full string quartet?
The album’s variety of styles and influences is unified by assured band performances, Franklin’s unpretentious vocal delivery (with some crucial harmony assists when called for), and his distinctive lyrical sensibility, which marries the wit, concision, and ear for a rhyme of Larry Hart or Johnny Mercer to pointed political commentary more akin to Randy Newman, or even the Gang of Four. As Robert Christgau wrote in a review of 2024’s Viable, “Bruno writes socially conscious although not therefore ideological songs, which means he’s a very smart guy who sees the world the way I and I bet you do.” (If you don’t, you might after a few spins.) These aren’t finger-wagging protest songs – though the solo piano “Sad and Afraid” comes close, and “Untimely Beggar” and “Enemies of Song” might be visions of class war – but they are songs written with eyes and ears open to what it means, and how it feels, to exist in America now, whether that means taking on urban isolation (“Cover Your Tracks!”), financial instability (“Faith and Credit”), and infrastructure policy (“Shovel-Ready”) – or, in more personally charged songs, renting someone’s backhouse month-to-month (“Guesthouse”) or not being quite sure, well into middle age, whether you’ve figured out anything at all (“Still in Error”).
Despite the strength of the songs, The Human Hearts is a band, not a singer-songwriter and some hirelings. So who are they?
Franklin Bruno (vocals/guitar/keyboards) has released more than 20 albums of original songs since 1990, on labels including Scat, Simple Machines, and Shrimper, first with Southern California’s Nothing Painted Blue, then as a solo artist, and now with The Human Hearts. He has also written, recorded, or toured with The Mountain Goats, Tsunami, Laura Cantrell, and The Schramms. After moving to Chicago in 2007, he adopted The Human Hearts band name for a one-off recording project, and assembled a stable lineup in New York in the early 2010s. Franklin is also the author of a book on Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces (in Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series), and the poetry collection The Accordion Repertoire (Edge Books).
Matt Houser (drums/percussion), a friend since Nothing Painted Blue days, joined the band – originally a guitar-drums duo – soon after Franklin moved to New York, and appears on every Human Hearts release since 2012’s Another. Formerly of NYC’s Palomar, he also plays with Overlord, The Jupiter Boys, Cholo, and Tris McCall.
Pete Galub (guitar), a frequent guest at early live shows, makes selected studio appearances on Another and Viable; Faith & Credit marks his first album as the band’s fully integrated second guitarist. As a writer-performer in his own right, he has released two albums, Boy Gone Wrong and Candy Tears, performs in NYC solo and with The Annuals, and plays guitar or bass with The Silos, Tape Hiss, Emma Tricca, and others.
Brandon Kalber (bass), originally from D.C./Virginia, joined in the mid-2010s while living in New York and playing with The Dismemberment Plan’s Travis Morrison. A full participant in rehearsing, arranging, and recording Faith & Credit, he returned to Virginia for work and family not long after finishing the record.
Bob Bannister (bass), Brandon’s successor, does not appear on the album, but has been integral to live shows since taking over, post-pandemic. Primarily a guitarist, he is known for co-founding respected NYC indie-psych band Fire in the Kitchen and experimental duo/trio Tono-Bungay, several solo instrumental releases, and collaborations with Cat Power and P.G. Six. Currently, he also plays with The Scene is Now, Drew Gardner (of Elkhorn), and folksinger Rose Thomas Bannister (also his wife).
Besides the core band, guests on Faith & Credit include backing singers who sweeten the pot at key moments. Annie Nero – also a frequent vocal foil to The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn – forms a one-woman chorus on “Illusions,” and chimes in on “A Different City.” Mark Spencer (Son Volt, Laura Cantrell) lays classic country-rock harmony lines over “Boring Postcards” and “The Old Currencies.” Before the final mix by Mitch (who also contributes tambourine and one tasteful guitar part), horns and strings were recorded in Brooklyn by Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu, They Might Be Giants). Franklin wrote charts for Steven Levi (trumpet, trombone) and Cheryl Kingman (baritone sax) on “Faith and Credit” and the Stax-influenced “Untimely Beggar,” while the aforementioned string quartet, led by violinist Jean Cook (Waco Brothers, Ida), improvised their parts for “Our Films, Their Films” between sessions for another project.
To sum up: Faith & Credit is about some weighty matters, but it’s also a creative, vital rock ‘n’ roll record. It has hooks, the occasional big chorus or climactic ending, a cracking rhythm section, sharply executed guitar parts and solos, and enough ear-catching melody, harmony, and texture to satisfy anyone who ever loved a dB’s, Go-Betweens, or Verlaines album. Whether or not they’re “still in error,” The Human Hearts are doing something right.