With trends coming and going, Hardcore music has recently found a mainstream influx of listeners. Something that has resulted in more publicity and new excitement, there is no denying that many bands have been around through thick and thin. One band, Touché Amoré, has been on the scene for over two decades and now they return in 2024 with their new album Spiral in a Straight Line.
Touché Amoré’s sixth studio album, they are looking to produce a sound that can rival the popularity received with the 2016 release Stage Four. As mentioned, there has been an increased interest in the Hardcore and Emo scene… so Touché Amoré will likely be turning heads. Arriving on October 11th, it is their first with Rise Records; joining Touch Amore with others like PUP, Winona Fighter, American Nightmare, and Mothica. A label full of unique sounds that let their artists experiment and be unique, Touché Amoré’s Spiral in a Straight Line feels like a continuation of their past musical escapades, rather than something entirely different. With that said, there is little experimentation, but by and large the band selects to fortify and master their sound.
Touché Amoré stands for more than just their music… this band is a cornerstone of a scene that believes in expression and emotional release through sound. Their music talks on themes of angst, depression, suicide, cancer, and self-deprecation in a very matter-of-fact way. Their screaming lyrics are frank and to the point; choosing simplicity as their form of genius rather than creative inventiveness or outlandish ingenuity. Using the basics, they amplify them to extremes while keeping a tight well-polished sound that defies the chaotic imagery and scene-building of their lyrics. In enough words, they write music for people living in unstable or chaotic lives, and their noise exists as a way through it all. It is a path forward in times of darkness.
Pondering this for a moment, let us dive into the two pre-released singles of Spiral in a Straight Line; “Nobody” and “Hal Ashby.” Two strong pieces of work, both define what Touché Amoré is trying to do with this album. The band has a very set routine and purpose, but it is honest when saying that these songs are similar to past releases… and that speaks for the rest of Spiral in a Straight Line. The Hardcore sound is on full display with Jeremy Bolm’s intense vocals which do not shy away from being described as painfully loud. There is agony in how these lyrics are presented that shines through not only with their message but the tone and inflection of Bolm’s voice.
However, Touché Amoré would not be complete without mentioning the guitar playing that completes each song and creates a powerful background energy that drives the music to be more than a void of screams. There is also an ambience being built up by the bass and drums which builds into the slap-in-the-face sound of the guitar duo of Clayton Stevens and Nick Steinhardt. This instrumentalism saves Spiral in a Straight Line from being a catalog of indeterminate screaming. This is Hardcore music, so there is an emphasis on raw energy and anger, but those themes cannot shine through if the other parts of the music do not work together to make the genre pop. This happens often, but nothing is more memorable than “Flowers and You” and “New Halloween.”
An album that touts’ themes of keeping control and stability through chaos, Spiral In a Straight Line delivers what it sets out to. With intensity as its main benefactor, it is another good release that comfortably fits in the world of Touché Amoré. For this reason, Cryptic Rock gives Spiral in a Straight Line 4 out of 5 stars.
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