Cargo Records

Breaking Gods Heart

This release expands the album to a 2 CD set and includes all of the B-sides and associated singles, the rare first two singles, the long deleted Hefner Soul EP as well as unreleased recordings.

When first released in July 1998 Hefner's debut album; 'Breaking God's Heart' was quite out of step with other guitar bands of the time. The sparse, folksy arrangements and dry, scratchy production was at odds with the ambitious, string laden brit pop of the time. Although Hefner had the tunes to win them support from the NME and Steve Lamacq, their idiosyncratic, leftfield approach meant their most loyal supporter was going to be John Peel, recording 7 sessions for him in their short career. Lead singer; Darren Hayman's primary influences were folk, country and the American lo-fi indie of the time. Hayman rejected an American singing style in favour of his own Thames estuary accent and sang carefully observed songs about lost love in East London and Essex. Hefner never crossed into the mainstream but they had an unusually loyal following who still believe them to be the best of their kind. This smaller, intricate, personal music is missed today.