Touché Amoré
Is Survived By
Deathwish Inc. Records (2013)
Score: 8/10
After teasing everyone with a Split EP with Pianos Become the Teeth back in January, Touché Amoré has finally treated us to their newest full-length, Is Survived By. Relentless touring, a distinctive yell, their incredible lyrics and menacing musicianship has taken this band to the forefront of punk/hardcore and this record shows why.
“Just Exist” is the musical equivalent of hitting a home run on your first at-bat. Powerful and short, the drum fills dictate the pace but it’s the spacey, smooth guitar licks that takes the song from good to great. Lyrically, as always, you feel like you’re getting to know vocalist Jeremy Bolm more and more with each song. “To Write Content” talks about spilling yourself onto the page and the return your art will give you, “they use your blood to capitalize. So expose all of your secrets” acts as half advice, half warning.
“DNA” and “Kerosene” are quick and aggressive. And even though this album has more soft parts and slower melodies than previous works (with the fantastic “Nonfiction” being the head of the class), it is those hard songs that really define the album for me. Single, “Harbor,” is alright but “Steps” is amazingly well-written, hopeful and urgent. And in grand fashion, the title track closes the curtain in a way that perfectly captures the spirit of Is Survived By. “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.” The balance between being a person and being someone other people revere, and wondering whether or not anyone will care when you’re gone is central to the album, and a topic that Touché Amoré ended up being more than capable of tackling.
This record is pretty great. It’s a genuine look into the mind of someone who wants to leave behind something worth remembering and celebrating, and thankfully, I think Is Survived By will achieve that.
– Felipe Garcia
Touché Amoré is playing Vegas at the House Blues on October 26th, with AFI and Coming.
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