Biography

 

"This machine kills AI" — when asked if The Mystery Hearts had a credo, that was Mark Lewis Heavenor's response.

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Heavenor's newest musical venture channels his many fascinations. As a guitarist, he studied flamenco and brings its right-hand technique to his writing and playing — not its harmony, but its attack. He draws on Brian Wilson's psychedelic architectures, the rich ensemble playing of Grizzly Bear and Feist, and the imagery of Tom Waits and Nick Cave. The tension between technical rigour and serving a song fascinates him, and contributes to what feels like a familiar and yet strange sound world. At its heart though is something simpler — a love of process, craft, and ultimately collaboration.

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So far that collaboration has brought in some formidable company — producer and keys player Toby McClaren (The Heliocentrics, The Heavy, Led Bib), multi-instrumentalist and producer William Jaquet (Luvcat, Big Society), Rory Butler, Ada Grace Francis (Morning Company), Jamie Ellul (The Supercolours, The Mystery Callers), and producer and drummer Chris Ellul (The Heavy, Jim Jones Allstars).

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The Mystery Hearts are currently recording a debut body of work with members of The Heliocentrics, The Heavy and Luvcat at Real World Studios, Somerset, with a series of releases to follow and live shows building throughout.

 

Born in Scotland and now based between Bath and Bristol, Heavenor has arrived at a sound that is ambitious in scope and unmistakably his own.