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Watch Heart Bones perform at The Current Day Party in Austin, Texas

March 16, 2019

Heart Bones perform at The Current Day Party at Barracuda in Austin, Texas, on Friday, March 15, 2019, during the SXSW music festival.Nate Ryan | MPR

After spending time touring together and becoming friends, Sean Tillmann and Sabrina Ellis have teamed up to launch the new project Heart Bones. "As soon as I saw Sean Tillmann on stage, I was pretty enamored," Ellis said about Tillmann, who performs under the name Har Mar Superstar.

Tillmann was also eager to work with the Austin, Texas, musician, who is known from bands A Giant Dog and Sweet Spirit. "I'm just a huge fan of her as a frontperson and a songwriter," Tillmann told The Current.

Throughout 2018 Tillmann and Ellis visited each other's hometowns of Minneapolis and Austin to co-write material. The project started as a duo, and now includes a six-piece backing band. When Heart Bones performed at The Current's studio, their lineup included guitar, bass, drums, synth, trumpet, and an electronic wind instrument.

While most bands wait until after releasing an album to go on tour, Heart Bones decided to do the opposite. In November, they toured the U.S. performing songs from the 1987 classic Dirty Dancing as a way to introduce audiences to their danceable, retro pop.

Heart Bones have released three singles: "This Time It's Different," "Little Dancer," and "Disappearer." Listening to their discography, it's easy to catch the '80s influences; slap bass lines, bright synth melodies, and pounding drum samples abound. But the duo put a modern spin on their classic influences with bubbly electronic samples and sardonic lyrics.

– Colleen Cowie