''Winning Hearts'' is the fourth and final studio album from Canadian alternative band

The Inbreds The Inbreds were a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 1992. Originally from Kingston, Ontario,"Kingston's Inbreds don't need guitars". ''Toronto Star'', July 8, 1993. the band relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996 and remained based ther ...

, released on

Murderecords Murderecords is an independent record label that releases the music of the Canadian rock band Sloan. Originally formed in 1992 to produce just the records of that band, it later released work of other bands including Eric's Trip, The Hardship ...

in 1998. The album was noted for paring back from the expanded "full band" sound the band explored on ''

It's Sydney or the Bush ''It's Sydney or the Bush'' is the third studio album by Canadian alternative rock duo The Inbreds, released in 1997 on PF Records in Canada and TAG Recordings in the United States. Produced by Lincoln Fong, the album represented an expansion ...

'', and returning to their more traditional bass guitar and drums configuration. The album was mixed and recorded at The Gas Station, and mastered at Umbrella Sound in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. It held the number one spot on '' Chart Magazine''s survey of Canadian

campus radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

for two consecutive months. However, after completing their tour to support the album, the duo decided to break up and pursue other projects. The album was reissued on vinyl in 2016 by Label Obscura, alongside both ''It's Sydney or the Bush'' and '' Kombinator''.

Critical response

Jennifer Jones of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

called it the band's best album, writing that "The songwriting has really reached its pinnacle, in that Halifaxian 'sic''artist kind of way, and the polished mid-tempo numbers really speak to the listener. Granted, some songs are forgettable, but the ones that hit the mark do so with a bull's-eye." Writing for the ''

St. Catharines Standard The ''St. Catharines Standard'' is a daily newspaper of the city of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. the publication was owned by Torstar but on May 26, 2020, the company agreed to be acquired by NordStar Capital, a private investment firm. The ...

'', John Crossingham opined that "If 1996's lush It's Sydney or the Bush was a rich piece of New York cheesecake with berries, Winning Hearts is a Mr. Big left out in the sun; chewy, crunchy and so sticky you'll be wearing it for weeks. Whichever confection you choose, The Inbreds are consistently Canada's biggest treat.""Inbreds serve up another treat". ''

'', February 28, 1998.

Track listing

All tracks written by Mike O'Neill, except where noted.

References

{{Authority control 1998 albums The Inbreds albums Murderecords albums