The Heart Pills on fire at the The Fire House!

Say there’s a person jonesing for a skuzzy junkyard/blues/rock fix and they’ve been perpetually frustrated by other towns severe lack thereof. That person could park the RV in the Chippewa Valley and let it rust forever because Eau Claire darlings, The Heart Pills more than satisfy that quota. And now the group consisting of Josh Ingersoll (guitar/vocals), Silas Thompson (bass), Sarah Bodeau (keyboards), and Matt Haapala (drums), after releasing a slew of demos and a self-titled EP, is busting out of the gates with a full-length record called To Paul, From Dad 1951. “Our album has a very live feel to it. Gritty, at times melodic, and a fairly raw lo-fi sound courtesy of Ben Hinz (of The Ronald Raygun, who produced the album) who had been an avid audience member for forever before we decided to actually record anything,” said Ingersoll. “We never really set out to create a certain sound, but certain themes have sort of naturally appeared and that process is quite satisfying.” Ingersoll added that the record, out August 3, was pressed onto vinyl through Dwarfcraft Global Media, but it will be available digitally as well. The Heart Pills’ high-energy live sound has garnered a reputation of lively, big-sounding songs and unconventional instrumentation. Whether it’s a giant garbage contraption used as a percussion instrument or reading Craigslist missed connections over a White Stripes-y rock riff, it’s surely entertaining.