A bitter-sweet partnership of lyrical self-doubt and melancholy but Race Car Hearts offer hope too.

Race Car Hearts is the creative guise for English singer/songwriter Chris Perrin.

After fronting British rock band Thirst (who enjoyed critical acclaim with Kerrang! awarding their début album KKKK and Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq play listing the band’s single ‘Collapse’) Chris explored writing and performing as a solo artist, experimenting with a variety of different bands and musicians. After amassing a strong collection of songs, Chris teamed up with producer Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals) to record his début album.

‘When writing this record I made a conscious effort not to surround myself with music magazines, music television or internet music channels. I felt it was important to distance myself from the ‘force feeding’ nature of those mediums. I learnt to trust my own judgement, my own instinct.’

Musical comparisons to Ryan Adams, The Police, and Stereophonics have been made but for the more persistent listener there is an individual strength and vulnerability that is solely Race Car Hearts. Soaring choruses and uplifting melodies are married to lyrical self doubt and melancholy. It’s this bitter-sweet partnership that gives the music its addictive twist.

Race Car Hearts release their début single ‘Mother Midnight’ in March 2012 through Jelly Maid Music.

Visit the official Race Car Hearts website – www.racecarhearts.com

Releases:

Music:

Video:

Mother Midnight

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Press:

XYZ Magazine, November 2011

A stalwart of the local Portsmouth music scene, Chris Perrin’s previous incarnations have included Thirst, Zuma and Red Letter Day. After years as a member of a band, Chris took the plunge alone. He has just recorded his first RCH album with Greg Haver, producer for the Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals and Lost, due out in 2012.

To translate the album to the live circuit Chris put together a full band, who have already played all over the south coast. Chris’ plaintive, heart-wrenching vocals are complimented by music that veers between Neil Young-esque acoustica and Pearl Jam rockiness.

Chris says of the Portsmouth music scene “There are a lot of artists here, all doing something different from each other, all trying to get their art heard or seen. Portsmouth has always been a really creative city and it has never failed to inspire me. People really do have to be prepared to travel outside of Portsmouth though, to test the waters elsewhere with the music they’re creating’.

Race Car Hearts’ first single will be released via the Portsmouth based Jelly Maid Music record label, next year, March 2012.

The News, March 2012

Race Car Hearts frontman CHRIS PERRIN is 34 and lives in Southsea. His band release their debut single, Mother Midnight, on Monday, recorded with Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals).

What would be your ideal weekend destination?

New York City. It’s by far the most exciting place I have ever visited.

Not counting your loved ones, who would be your dream companion?

I’d like to walk the streets with Matt Berninger from The National as I love the way he writes about life in New York. You get a real sense of the romance and the struggle.

What music would you take with you?

I wouldn’t need to take any music as there are so many cool bars and music clubs to check out. As a city, it’s steeped in so much musical and cultural history, and it continues to be one of the leading places in terms of new sound and vision.

What about something to read?

‘Love Goes to Buildings on Fire’. It’s an amazing book about the musical styles and scenes that were reinvented in New York during the 1970s.

What would be your ultimate way to relax?

I tend to relax more when there’s a lot going on around me, places where I can take a back seat and become a spectator. I’d probably head to a bar on Bleecker Street, settle down in the corner with a beer and soak up the sounds.

If money were no object, which shop would you head for?

Oh, guitar shops, always! I own a few already but each guitar has its own unique effect on the way you play. Each guitar has its own songs to offer.

What’s your all-time favourite film?

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. It has everything: humour, magic, suspense, sadness, joy, and hope… oh, and great theme music.

We’re buying the drinks tonight. What’s your poison?

Depends on where we’re drinking, but a good wine never lets me down. I can drink a lot of it without having too much of a hangover.

What are you doing this weekend?

I’ll probably take my Bedford Rascal out for a spin, tweak a few ears, nibble some cake, have a strum on my guitar.

What’s a favourite local destination for a weekend day out?

I like to put my iPod on shuffle and take a slow walk along the seafront, from Eastney to Old Portsmouth, stopping for a few drinks and something to eat, then heading back home through the town.