Simon Curtis is a multi-talented individual. As an actor, he’s appeared on both Disney and Nickelodeon series; as a singer/songwriter, he’s released 3 albums, 3 EPs, 1 remixed/remaster, and 16 singles. He’s also a New York Times Best-selling author – and unabashedly gay.

With the highly anticipated release of his first graphic novel, The Witches of Silverlake, just around the corner – it will be available on 14 May – Curtis has finally unveiled the remaster of his debut album, 8-bit Heart.

Produced by Jeff’ Jadion’ Wells, Curtis originally released the album for free on his website on 23 March 2010. It was subsequently downloaded more than 150,000 times (80 thousand of which occurred during the first week of release. The album’s title, ‘8-bit Heart ‘, is a nod to the retro gaming culture and the heart symbol often used in video game graphics. I discovered the album after attending the release of Curtis’ 2016 debut novel Boy Robot and found the concept of the book was derived from the album itself.

There was a certain raw charm to the original album, a testament to Curtis’ dedication. Drawing inspiration from Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, and even the original soundtrack to the 1982 fantasy film Dark Crystal, Curtis poured his Heart and soul into the production. However, my only complaint was that the album was released in compressed MP3 format. So when Curtis announced the album would get a remaster and a lossless release, I couldn’t have been more appreciative of the improved quality.

‘Beat Drop’ still hits hard while the allure of ‘Fell in Love W/an Android’ and ‘Joystick’ have been magnified by this GLORIOUS remaster. One of my favorite tracks, ‘Brainwash’, remains an incredibly catchy and well-constructed pop song that showcases Curtis’ impressive vocal range.

Logistically (and legally), some changes were made. Most notable is the exclusion of ‘The Never Ending Elevator’ – which was just a vocal interview featuring The Never Ending Story in the background in the background. ‘The Dark’ no longer starts with the theme of The Dark Crystal (nor does it include a rap borrowed from Jay-Z). ‘Beat Drop’ also dropped the millisecond sample of GaGa’s ‘Bad Romance.’ 

To put it bluntly, the remaster was everything I hoped it would be. Simon Curtis is an incredible storyteller, and I hope this re-release will be the first of many. As a fan, I am eagerly waiting for lossless versions of Love, S, and WWW, and I’m sure many of you are too. 

You can purchase the 2024 remaster of 8-Bit Heart on all major digital platforms, including qobuz, which allows a 24-Bit/44.1 kHz .flac download. This ensures that fans can enjoy the album in all it’s lossless glory – which is exactly how Simon Curtis deserves to be heard. 

More music reviews soon so…

Stay Tuned!