7/10

There is something quietly remarkable about 'Wild Hearts Don’t Break They Burn'. Not because it arrives wrapped in immaculate production or backed by an elaborate campaign, but because every second feels earned. This is the sound of one artist patiently teaching himself how to transform years of hardship into something that refuses to be defined by it.

Working alone from northern Tasmania, Zachariah Tazewell has assembled an EP that feels intensely personal without becoming self-indulgent. Instead of chasing perfection, he embraces the rough edges that naturally emerge when someone is learning every aspect of the creative process themselves. The result is an EP that carries the fingerprints of its creator from beginning to end, where determination is as audible as the music itself.

Across its five tracks, the EP explores rebuilding after collapse. Physical suffering, addiction, loneliness and frustration all become chapters in a wider story of endurance rather than defeat. The artist approaches these subjects with directness, never disguising uncomfortable emotions beneath abstract poetry, yet he also avoids allowing darkness to completely consume the release. There is always the sense that every painful memory exists to illuminate the possibility of moving forward.

The title-track stands as the emotional centrepiece, carrying a spirit of renewal that burns throughout the EP. Elsewhere, 'House of Cards' reflects on the strange paradox of living in an increasingly connected world where genuine human closeness often feels harder to find, while 'SOS' strips everything back to expose the emotional exhaustion that prolonged isolation leaves behind. Perhaps the most confrontational moment arrives with 'Fuck Tha Doctors', giving voice to experiences of disillusionment with systems that are supposed to provide care.

But what makes the EP especially compelling is the context surrounding its creation. Every vocal recorded in a makeshift home studio, every guitar part captured through DIY ingenuity, and every production decision arrived at through years of self-directed learning speaks to an artist who has refused to let limited circumstances dictate the size of his ambitions. Even knowing these songs began life as material left outside an upcoming full-length album only reinforces the depth of his creative output.

In all, 'Wild Hearts Don’t Break They Burn' documents the long road between surviving and truly living again, offering an honest portrait of someone reclaiming both their voice and their future. For a self-produced independent release, it possesses an emotional weight and sincerity that many far larger productions struggle to capture, announcing Zachariah Tazewell as an artist whose greatest strength lies not simply in his versatility, but in his unwavering authenticity.