New Music: The Brothers Union – Shaking Heart

New Jersey based alt-rockers The Brothers Union share more than a hometown with The Boss, though their music is strikingly different.

The Asbury Park outfit has just finished recording a new album, and the blistering and at times heartbreaking Shaking Heart is a tantalising and animated taste of what’s in store for us. Like the best works of The Boss, it looks at how we come to associate places with memories, and the two can seemingly become indivisible as the relationship they have come to represent.    

Just as many of us return to places that meant something in the past, Shaking Heart finds the couple at the centre of the song doing similar, the endless heat of summer nights a metaphor for a relationship that they hope will endure, whatever obstacles come their way. If you’re a fan of The Gaslight Anthem – another of New Jersey’s finest – and bands that branch out from the pop-punk and alt-rock norm like Menzingers and Taking Back Sunday, it’ll be worth investing a bit of your heart in The Brothers Union.

“At the core of what we do is songwriting. We aim to write memorable melodies, meaningful lyrics, and songs that connect with people on a personal level,” Sean O’Reilly, vocalist and bassist of The Brothers Union, explains.

“Shaking Heart captures that idea through a narrative about surviving difficult periods without allowing those moments to define the relationship. Lyrics like ‘We don’t run from the past / We rise up above it / Take my hand / With you forever’ turn the song into a reflection on all the chances two people have to choose each other again.”

Head over to The Brothers Union’s Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram socials for band updates and streaming options for their music, which includes Spotify.