Touché Amoré have experimented with various styles of post-hardcore over the last 17 years, but this latest album really perfects the art of blending raw emotion with intricate, thoughtful musicianship.
However, where their early years favoured more aggressive vocals and a fast-paced style, their recent work has taken on a more atmospheric, reflective sound. Spiral In A Straight Line sees the band returning to legendary producer Ross Robinson and unsurprisingly, everything clicks.
The album picks up where 2020’s Lament left off, but the songwriting is stronger and Jeremy Bolm’s passionate, almost conversational vocals tug and tease the best out of the layers of vulnerability, intensity, and gentle melodies bubbling throughout. First single and album opener, Nobody’s, swiftly sets the tone for the album’s broad theme of trying to push forward in a world that feels destabilising.
Overall, the tracks on Spiral… are beautiful, hooky and sometimes slightly bleak. Hal Ashby, Force Of Habit and This Routine all provide a satisfyingly unfiltered glimpse into Bolm’s interior monologues and the combination of honest raspy vocal delivery and evocative lyrics, often about everyday routines, observations, or reactions, make for a particularly relatable and reassuring listening experience.
Finalist dials up the pace and heaviness up a notch, and Subversion (Brand New Love), featuring Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow, injects some interesting moodiness into the mix. But it’s the closing track, Goodbye For Now, featuring Julien Baker from indie rock supergroup boygenius, that is the most special, thanks to the female tones interweaving with Bolm’s own.
Touché Amoré’s versatility has kept them relevant, but their juxtaposition of stark fragility and emotive, anthemic songwriting has really come into its own this time around.
Spiral In A Straight Line is out October 11 via Rise.
