Broken Hearts Are Blue is a name that I vaguely recall from "back in the day," though the band's actual music had eluded me until this opportunity to discuss their lone '90s full-length, The Truth About Love, presented itself. Originally released by Caulfield Records in the late-'90s, The Truth About Love seems to have developed a reputation as somewhat of a classic of Midwest emo—the only copy of the original CD on Discogs right now is $90 (and vinyl's not much cheaper)!? So, it seems that a forthcoming limited edition remastered cassette reissue through Sweet Cheetah Records and Poptek Records (pre-order now: U.S. or otherwise) is well-deserved—the perfect excuse for me to familiarize myself with material that I'd been missing out on for over 25 years, as well as to fire off a few quick questions to both the band and the labels involved...
We're primarily discussing your mid-'90s debut here, but the band also released a brand new album, Meeting Themselves, just a few months ago. So, in order to not simply reflect on the past, talk about where you are now in 2024, and how your approach/delivery has evolved compared to the endearingly rugged aesthetic of the classic '90s scene?
Ryan Gage (vocals): Obviously in 2024, almost nothing that we are endeavoring toward as a "band" can find comparable parallels to 1995. There is no playing live, as of yet, and we have now to contend with the difficulties of living in four different cities. Perhaps we were part of some sort of rustbelt indie rock scene in the 1990s—despite our collective ambivalence toward self-promotion and reluctance to tour—but in today's cultural marketplace, post-internet/streaming/social networking, we constitute an almost trifling smudge on today's indie rock radar. We're probably more a symbol of someone's nostalgic reverie than anything else, which is perfectly fine for four greying men who now un-ironically consider AARP benefits.
Musically, the writing is different in that Chuck [Wood, guitar], who wrote most of the songs from the '90s catalog, has chosen not to participate when we re-grouped in 2018, so now that charge has been left to Dan [Buettner, bass] and Bryan [Charles, guitars] to work out. The issue of distance between all of us has actually made the songs far more a product of all four of our contributions given the enormous amount of discussion and editing that has gone into these last two records, and because of that, the painstaking consideration and excision has resulted in a higher quality of writing.
The tune we'll be hyping is the 2024 remaster of "And Then," one of The Truth About Love's more energetic standout tracks. Can you share anything in particular about this song and its place within the larger context of the album?
Ryan: Lyrically, "And Then" is a bit of a dud, to be honest. It feels like a series of fragments strung together along a clothesline that I blindly tugged at, and tossed into a less-than-coherent grappling with love and art. The song's bouncy, melodic air was perhaps our trademark, similar in tone with "Last Night's Tattoo" and "Because I Am." It's really the only track on the album that sounds a bit like what other bands were doing at the same time.
Nearing 30 years since its original release, how does it feel that The Truth About Love is an album that's still recalled fondly for so many, and even continues to find an audience with new fans today?
Ryan: We've certainly gone and wrecked our standing as a once-underappreciated, mostly forgotten band with a kind-of-cult status record these past couple of years, but it's rewarding—in the most self-effacing, Midwestern of ways—to know that music we made all those years ago, and deeply cared about, has made its way onto the soundtrack of someone's life.
When it comes to reissues, labels are always fans first, so what special significance does Broken Hearts Are Blue and The Truth About Love hold for you?
Tim Anderl (Sweet Cheetah Records): I first heard Broken Hearts Are Blue in the mid-ish '90s. Although I was already a devotee of Caulfield Records, I can still sort of remember the individual who turned me on to them and when exactly that happened. It was a pretty casual introduction that just stuck because it needed to. Formative memories are funny like that.
Over the years, I've collected a lot of awesome memories as a result of this album. For instance, my friend Joe Mitra from Out Sick! sent me a copy of it on vinyl after finding it in a record store in Baltimore some years ago. I couldn't believe that he remembered my love for the album, and it was so kind of him.
Honestly, this is one of my very favorite records. The fact that the band has reconvened in recent years and continues to make incredible music, however sonically divergent from this record, is so satisfying for me as a fan of what they do. Better, they're just really enjoyable humans to know, and I'm so glad we connected.
I reached out to Andy from Poptek Records in the hopes of a partnership, because I knew his particular sensibilities and intrinsic kindness would help me make this possible. I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for teaming with me on this.
Andy Ingram (Poptek Records): I actually had never heard Broken Hearts Are Blue until Tim turned me on to The Truth About Love when recently discussing plans for the remastered release. In 1996, I was simultaneously obsessing over Britpop bands and anything from Seattle, so I completely missed their debut the first time around. When I finally heard the band, it was easy to hear how good the songs are. And adventurous music is the best music. These songs are that. It didn't take much to convince me and Poptek to support the cassette release in however way we could.
The original CD and LP on Caulfield Records have become quite collectible over the years, and the album has only been reissued once prior—on vinyl, when the band reunited in 2018. I believe this will be The Truth About Love's first time ever on cassette, so how did this project come together and find you landing on the tape format?
Tim: When Derek [Brosch, drums] told me that he'd had the album remastered, I was selfishly exceptionally interested. I couldn't wait to hear it. And when I did, I couldn't believe how amazing it sounded. It was like experiencing it with fresh ears again.
That said, when we started discussing a reissue, I wasn't interested in recreating the wheel. I knew that the album had been issued and reissued in other variations a few times—in fact, I think I have all those versions. What I didn't have was a version of the album on cassette.
I think the band was a little lukewarm on this physical format at first. Ultimately, I'm so pleased with how this turned out, not only because of the awesome mastering work, but also because Rhys Meatyard, an incredible artist/graphic designer from Florida, was willing to work with us to recreate the artwork as close to what you see in the original LP and CD artwork... and even with a fresh photo from the original Mikel Palmer photo sessions. I hope that other fans relish having this as much as I do.
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The limited edition remastered cassette reissue of The Truth About Love will be out next week through Sweet Cheetah Records and Poptek Records, and you can pre-order one right now. Outside the U.S., head to Summer Darling Tapes. Looks like Council Records will have the digital covered on Bandcamp. Hear more from Broken Hearts Are Blue via Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Also find the group on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
