''Candy Hearts'' is an American

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, formed in 2009.

Background

The band was formed by singer/guitarist Mariel Loveland and guitarist Kris Hayes in 2009. As the band’s primary songwriter, Loveland was the only member to see through every one of its incarnations. The band's first collection of demos, "Ripped Up Jeans and Silly Dreams", was released for free online in 2010 but never saw a physical release. It featured Loveland, Hayes (who also played bass on the recording) and drummer Louie Aronowitz. Aronowitz later left the band, and was replaced by drummer Nick Noto. They added bassist Greg Baldwin, and Hayes switched from the live bass player to lead guitar. Noto then left the group in 2011 and was replaced by Christina Picciano. A new song, "What I'm Made Of," was released for free on their

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

page the same year. The band also released a split seven-inch with Sister Kisser, which featured two new songs. Baldwin departed after the sessions, and was replaced by Christian Migliorese. This line-up would go on to record the band's second album, titled ''Everything's Amazing And Nobody's Happy'' on Kind of Like Records. Picciano was the next member to depart in early 2012, and was replaced by Matthew Ferraro. An acoustic EP, titled simply ''Acoustic EP'', was released in March 2012. The song featured acoustic versions of the band's songs, and was released to raise funds for further recording and studio time. In the coming months, the band teamed up with producer and

New Found Glory New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...

guitarist,

Chad Gilbert Chad Everett Gilbert (born March 9, 1981) is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band New Found Glory, for whom he plays lead guitar, sings backing vocals, and composes music. He was also ...

, to record their EP "The Best Ways to Disappear". The EP was rated #2 on

Kerrang ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off ...

's list of "Top EPs of 2012." In April 2013, Migliorese was replaced by John Clifford. The band also released a seven-inch, entitled ''Miles & Interstates'', via

Bridge Nine Records Bridge 9 Records is an American hardcore punk record label located outside Boston, Massachusetts. Bridge Nine is owned by Chris Wrenn of Salem, Massachusetts, who began the label in 1995 and produced its first release in 1996. The label is name ...

that year. Kerrang rated the single, "Miles & Interstates," as #40 in their list of "101 Songs that Rocked 2013." 2014 saw Hayes, the only other original member of the band, depart to start a family and to be a stay-at-home dad. He was not replaced, converting the band into a trio. In June 2014, the band released their third album, ''All The Ways You Let Me Down''. The album was again produced by

band member

. and charted on Billboard at #8 (Alternative New Artist Chart) and #32 (Heatseekers Chart). The band went on a tour in the spring of 2014 with We Are In The Crowd, William Beckett,

State Champs State Champs is an American pop punk band from Albany, New York, formed in 2010. They are currently signed to Pure Noise Records and have released three EPs and four full-length albums. They released an acoustic EP titled ''The Acoustic Things' ...

, and Set It Off. In the summer of 2014, the band embarked on a tour with Seaway, Stickup Kid, and

Driver Friendly Driver Friendly is an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States. Driver Friendly has toured with such bands as Motion City Soundtrack, Cartel, Relient K, Hellogoodbye, Night Riots, Hit The Lights, TEAM*, as well as Warped Tour. Hi ...

. Loveland would later speak negatively of this tour, accusing Seaway's manager of abusive behaviour. In the fall of 2014, the band toured with New Found Glory in the United States, Ireland, and England. Later that year,

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

named them one of the top ten pop punk bands that people need to know. and

NJ.com NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to a report in ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore r ...

voted them one of the 35 bands you need to hear in 2015 In December 2014,

Spin Magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. Histor ...

named Candy Hearts' single "I Miss You" one of the Best Songs Of 2014. ''All The Ways You Let Me Down'' was also voted as one of the best pop albums of 2014 by Billboard and one of the top albums of 2014 by The

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

. On May 5, 2017, Loveland announced that she would be continuing as a solo artist under the name Best Ex to help her cope with her personal anxiety and desire to write music outside of the realm of pop punk.

Influences

The band cites several, across the board influences. Loveland has cited acts such as

The Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ...

Juliana Hatfield Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls (band), Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. She also fronted her own band, The Julia ...

and

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

as influences.

Members

Current members *Mariel Loveland - vocals, guitar (2009–2019) *Matthew Florio - guitar, bass (2017–2019) Former members *Kris Hayes - guitar, vocals (2009-2014), bass (2009-2010) *Louie Aronowitz - drums (2009-2010) *Nick Noto - drums (2010-2011) *Greg Baldwin - bass (2010-2011) *Christina Picciano - drums (2011-2012) *Christian Migliorese - bass (2011-2013) *Matthew Ferraro - drums (2012–2017) *John Clifford - bass (2013–2017) *Bobby Vaughn - guitar, vocals (2014–2018) *Nick Sokol - drums (2017–2019)

Discography

Studio albums *''Ripped Up Jeans and Silly Dream''s (2010) *''Everything's Amazing & Nobody's Happy'' (2011) *''All the Ways You Let Me Down'' (2014) EPs *''Acoustic EP'' (2012) *''The Best Ways to Disappear'' (2012) *''Miles & Interstates'' (2013) *''Acoustic Hearts'' (2015) Splits *''Sister Kisser/Candy Hearts'' (2011)

References

External links

Official websiteBandcampFacebookTwitterAllMusic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Candy Hearts Musical groups established in 2009 2009 establishments in New Jersey Musical groups from New Jersey