Touché Amoré
Is Survived By

I imagine Jeremy Bolm there, sitting on a bench in Burbank after finishing work, among vinyl records, observing at sunset the hilly landscape that separates him from West Hollywood, from Westwood, essentially from Los Angeles, the city of contradictions, where dreams are fulfilled and quickly burn out. A guy like many others, or maybe not, quite introverted, straight edge with a passion for '90s screamo, engaging from a young age in interviewing giants like Jacob Bannon trying to understand their secret, the winning formula. And then, an escalation that comes to fruition in the form of Touché Amoré; undeniably tied to the personality of its frontman and his poetic nature that leads him to also write haikus in his spare time, when he isn't busy founding a subsidiary of Deathwish, Secret Voice. It's September 2013, and it's time for the third full-length, two years after the very successful "Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me" that brought them into the spotlight, in a mix of melodic hc, design [credit to Nick Steinhardt], and uninterrupted live shows, except for the break months taken to create "Is Survived By." A small side note, at the beginning of the year, the split with friends Pianos Become The Teeth was released, containing that gem known as "Gravity, Metaphorically," just to reflect our intention not to create a future photocopy album, but to take a decided step forward. And that's exactly what happened.

If you looked at "Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me," you couldn't help but notice the claustrophobic nature inherent in each of its tracks. A constant apnea, a labyrinth made of oppressive obsessions that granted very few moments of respite. Most of them were gathered in a handful of seconds where you could catch the necessary breath to dive headfirst into the painful plots narrated by Bolm or into the lightning-fast rhythms produced on the front line by Clayton Stevens & Nick Steinhardt on guitars, well amplified by the surgical work of Elliot Babin [drums] and Tyler Kirby [bass]. A sound pulsating with that necessary adrenaline to cope with emotional wounds. Cathartic compositions, yet light. Fleeting snapshots, destined to vanish into one another, just consider the 20-minute duration of the entire LP. And here lies the first passing of the torch with "Is Survived By," that voracious soul is slowly distancing itself, the times of "..To The Beat of a Dead Horse" seem to be gone, the raw and primal rejection of inner turmoil has become more reflective and introspective. And everyone benefits, from Touché Amoré to us, the listeners.

The bright blue is the dominant color, starting with the artwork [screamo goes shoegaze, Ride docet] up to the metaphorical level, as an undeniable brightening unfolds, as if one were under the clear sky of Venice Beach or immersed in the crystal-clear water of a pool straight from one of the villas described by Bret Easton Ellis in "Less Than Zero." We are talking about images, which, however, form in the sound of "Is Survived By," not remaining mere idealization. The melodic vein, always present in Touché Amoré, emerges forcefully and becomes the protagonist, absolutely not implying banality and superficiality, indeed the work carried out by Steinhardt and Stevens is one of the major strengths of the entire record. The two focus more on atmospheric harmonies than headbanging riffs, juggling between Bolm's existential pain background and the construction of a dramatic and melancholic scenario typical of the Los Angeles group, often indulging in breaks with a post-rock flavor. The solutions are eclectic and there is that sensation that they always hit the right notes, the correct timing, with no overly extended or sketchy parts, a triumphant balance of feelings falling apart.

If "PTSBBAM" could be criticized for being too homogeneous, here the risk is not run at all. The twelve compositions [in 29 minutes] have a distinct identity, easily recognizable and memorable, where Bolm engages as a tormented storyteller. He discusses mortality, faces his psychological anxieties, and denounces the sense of alienation that makes him a "Social Caterpillar," where hypocrisy and disappointment seem to prevail over a desire to not care, to move forward, in light of the fleeting time that highlights our transience and fragility. At the end of the journey, however, there is always hope, using the cliché "of the light after the darkness." One survives. "Is Survived By," to be exact. Touché Amoré is one of the few bands where lyrics and sound intertwine deeply, are vital sap for one another in a play of reflections where it is unclear who draws strength from whom. Whether it's the raw scratches gaining energy or the melodies that explode due to the incisive chant of the vocal cords. Words that are not lost in nothingness because, last but not least, there are Mr. Elliot Babin and Tyler Kirby on the rhythm section to support the structure. The bass resurfaces resoundingly, dragging the blue into darker shades, while the patterns created give polyhedricity to "Is Survived By." Babin shines between mid-tempo, sound crescendos, rhythmic changes, hammering assaults, or light tremors in more intimate moments, adding that extra quid, making even the second most static dynamic. Do we want to return to the metaphor of water, tides, the ocean [used as a reference for "Harbor"]? Is Survived By is a wave crashing, growing, becoming vigorous, then quieting and crashing on the shore, before another follows the same fate, a cyclical back-and-forth in the sound of each track, where there is room for the echoes of Julia Blake [Vow] and Jon Simmons [Balance & Composure].

"This is survived by a love. This is survived by a fear; that all that's left when said and done is words you will never ever hear."

That is how the album closes, and, allow me, ironically, to add "this is survived by the hype" because Touché Amoré, they won't invent anything new, but what they are doing work after work is damn high quality, and the maturation expressed, thanks to more refined and elaborate structures, is a sign of an artistic path so far without missteps, but filled with only satisfaction. And then they have that Californian sound, I know, it doesn't mean anything, but it goes beyond their geographic origin, I can't explain it, it goes beyond. Well, that cryptic/no sense closing I could have done without.

PS review arriving a week before the official release thanks to the Deathwish pre-order download. God bless those guys from Beverly.