About

By night, the Cruel Hearts Club will be found tearing through sets full of punk rock attitude and grunge dynamics, their songs and gritty glam aesthetic fuelled by double-shots of romantic decadence. By morning, however, the trio are three mums who make the joys and challenges of family life their number one priority – like countless others all over the country.

It’s not a lifestyle that’s common amongst new bands, but it’s an approach that gets to the fundamental heart of rock ‘n’ roll: do whatever the fuck you need to do to fulfill your creative needs, and don’t let anyone else’s opinions or stereotypes dissuade you.

The raw power of Cruel Hearts Club’s music speaks for itself. Earning early tastemaker acclaim alongside airplay from Radio 1 and Radio X, they have already supported an eclectic array of big names ranging from Iggy Pop to Sting via The Libertines and James. And their debut EP ‘Trash Love’ has everything it takes for the club’s membership to swell.

The EP’s lead single ‘Sink This Low’ is the perfect introduction. Commanding your attention with its vitriolic Distillers-meets-Bikini Kill attack, the track boasts a barbed bubblegum pop hook from sisters Edie (vocals, guitar) and Gita Langley (vocals, guitar, bass, synths), with a T-Rex stomp and a bluesy undercurrent. The track and the ‘Trash Love’ EP were recorded during hasty and hedonistic sessions at The Albion Rooms, Margate with producer Carl Barât.

“It’s about people fucking you over, but now the tables have turned” says Edie. “We’ve been playing it live for ages, but it took on a new energy when we re-recorded it at The Albion Rooms.”

The rest of the ‘Trash Love’ EP keeps the intensity at fever pitch. ‘Animal’ is every bit as feral as its title suggests, but with taut disco beats from drummer Gabi Woo and sweeping cinematic strings infusing its bite with beauty. There’s a more reflective tone to the power-pop stylings of ‘Dirty Rotten Scum’, a song that feels “very close to our lives, with a little glitter on top.” They cap the EP with the emotionally charged, single-take performance of ‘Where Has The Summer Gone?’ – an ode to a troubled friend who is no longer with them.

The EP’s livewire energy reflects the band’s passion for visceral, uninhibited music that’s an extension to who they are. But it’s also the product of circumstance. With seven children between the three band members, Cruel Hearts Club schedule their band activity around the needs of their families, making them work faster and more intensely than their contemporaries.

That’s how the studio tracks on the EP were recorded. Starting with ‘Dirty Rotten Scum’ (completed the day before the UK’s first lockdown), each one was recorded in a single day, with Edie and Carl then taking a few more hours to add the finishing touches.

Operating on their own terms, it’s unsurprising that the Cruel Hearts Club have unusual roots. The elder of the two sisters, Gita grew up on a commune in Norfolk but the family has relocated to a more conventional life in Derbyshire by the time Edie was born – or as conventional as a ten-person family supported by an ocarina craftsman can be expected to be.

Their first real exposure to music came from their older siblings, who would play classic records from the likes of The Beatles and Abba. But Edie and Gita took their own path in their teens, delving into the ragged riffs and rebellion rush of Hole, Nirvana, and especially The Distillers. “Brody Dalle is my girl crush hero,” confesses Edie.

The pair were both classically trained, with Gita particularly excelling as she went on to study violin at the Royal Academy of Music. Edie prioritised singing and also headed to London, instead taking the time-honoured approach of trying to blag jobs and form bands with like-minded characters

In the years that followed, whether individually or together, the sisters collaborated with the likes of Muse, The Streets and Lou Reed – the latter of which sparked a hint of jealousy from Carl who happened to be in the audience, long before he met the Cruel Hearts Club.

But the appeal of firing up the amps and channelling their talents into something more visceral was irresistible, leading them to form Cruel Hearts Club in 2019 with pianist-turned-drummer Gabi Woo. Introduced by a mutual friend, the Langleys immediately hit it off with Gabi, who Edie describes as a “bizarre, wonderful character… She’s got an Australian accent even though she’s not Australian.”

Since joining the band, Gabi had three new-born babies in quick succession. Not that it held her back: even when heavily pregnant, she was still committed to a thirteen hour drive to the south of France for their first show as guests to Sting. And they made quite the impression. Sting has been a fan ever since, and has enlisted them as special guests for his six-night residency at the London Palladium next April.

They’ve found that most managers and labels have wanted to control their destiny, pushing them in “directions we’re not willing to go in, because our kids are our priority and we know what we want.” One of which was putting them on the conveyor built of endless co-writing sessions with the usual names. Instead, the Hearts took the route of creative and practical independence, releasing early singles ‘Hey Compadre’ and ‘Dirty Rotten Scum’ while building their own cottage industry alongside trusted collaborators Carl Barât and Ed Harcourt.

It proves that motherhood doesn’t have to be the end of ambition, especially in the context of music. “I know of women in bands that are mothers, but they’re usually the ones that were famous before having a baby,” explains Edie. “I’m proud that I’m able to talk about my kids. It doesn’t mean that you’re too old, or that you’ve missed your chance. It’s important that we’re all allowed to express ourselves musically.”

In the short term, Cruel Hearts Club are readying a new conceptual video for ‘Animal’ that features Izzy Phillips from Black Honey and Sara Leigh Shaw of The Pearl Harts. They’re also eager to embark upon their first full nationwide headline tour. Edie and Carl are also opening the new music venue Justine’s in Margate, giving the bohemian seaside town a place for new artists to flourish.

Longer term, says Edie, “Cruel Hearts Club feels raw and intense. I want to take the band as far as we can. It feels authentic to who we are.”