Perth power poppers Rinehearts, who comprise former members of Screwtop Detonators and Snowman, release their second album, ‘Full Bloom’, out through Cheersquad Records & Tapes in Australia and New Zealand on 13 October 2023.

The band has been lucky enough to work with none other than legendary musician/songwriter/producer Dom Mariani (The Stems/DM3/The Some Loves/ Datura4) on production duties for the new recordings. A longtime fan and fellow Perth resident, Mariani has described Rinehearts as “that rare band that you come across from time to time, doing their thing without a lot of fuss, but with true dedication and a knack for crafting perfect pop.”

Working with their hometown pop hero – one who is also a major player in international power pop circles – is a dream come true for the band, and the resulting recording is beautifully realised with the perfect combination of gorgeous tones, fizzy energy and amazing tunes.  And while there is a crystalline perfection to the recording – with every guitar and vocal hook exactly where it needs to be – there is a full-bodied depth to the sound as well, one that feels like flesh and blood and a heavy beating heart, making each and every track sound passionately alive.

Rinehearts have been powering out the pop since forming in 2016, with the band members’ pedigrees including two notable Perth bands. Benny Ward (guitar/vocals) and Mitch Long (bass) were formally members of high-energy rock ’n’ rollers Screwtop Detonators, who rode the rock wave in the mid-00s to international semi-prominence, recorded with legendary producer Charles Fisher (Radio Birdman, Hoodoo Gurus) at Trafalgar Studios in Sydney, won the attention of Marky Ramone and Deniz Tek, and were even the subject of an award-winning feature documentary, filmed over a ten-year period, called Meal Tickets.

Around the same time, drummer Ross Di Blasio was a member of Snowman, who released three acclaimed albums, toured with the likes of the Drones and Wolfmother, and eventually relocated to London before disbanding in 2011.

Benny, Mitch and Ross are long-time friends, and you can hear that in the music. There is a sweet friendliness to their sound, and a sense of easy fun. The group’s tunes received international attention from the get-go when UK label No Front Teeth Records released their first record, the 7” EP ‘Try Your Luck,’ within months of the band forming. The living room-recorded debut album ‘Can’t Do Nothing’ followed on Cheersquad in 2019, and the band added an east coast contingent to its ever-expanding but west-centered fan base.

The band has recently been joined by forth member, Aidan Gordon. Aidan is an incredible guitarist and fits the band like a glove. His resume includes The Autumn Isles, The Mackerels, The Reductors, Tenderhooks, 6s and 7s, just to name a few.

While working with Dom on Full Bloom, Rinehearts guitarist/singer songwriter Benny has been releasing a succession of solo singles (under the name Benny J. Ward) in a similar, albeit a tad more garagey, style. The latest single and self-made video “I Didn’t Mean It” was released July 28 and there are more to come! Benny also recently released an EP from another longtime project, the hardcore punk outfit LEECHES!

Rinehearts are one of the latest in a long line of Perth pop/power pop bands that goes back to the late 70s, when the Manikins and the Scientists wore their Flamin’ Groovies fandom on their sleeves. You might wanna add the Triffids to the list – they released their first single on a label called Shake Some Action after all. The 80s brought the prolific Summer Suns and the Stems along with at least two more plant-based popsters, the Bamboos and the Marigolds. And of course, those other, previously mentioned pure power pop projects from Dom Mariani, who is of course the patron saint of Perth Power pop, and who has now personally anointed Rinehearts as his natural successors.