Heartless Bastards

Heartless Bastards are a band led by singer-songwriter Erika Wennerstrom, which was active between 2005 and 2015, having gone through some line up changes along the way. Their current incarnation comprises mostly a new batch of musicians, and it is tied to the 2021 release A Beautiful Life, which is generally considered Wennerstorm's second solo album for all practical purposes. Her music is stylistically more diverse this time around, including some earnest pop, some contemplative folk, and some big sweeping indie rock pieces. The work that preceded it, the band's main output till 2015's Restless Ones was more roots rock and Americana oriented.  In all its incarnations of the band, Wennerstrom and her strong songwriting and soulful vocals have remained the centerpiece and the creative force behind their music.