Band: Senses Fail
Album: Renancer
Label: Staple Records
Genre: Hardcore

I will admit right up front: I was never on the Senses Fail train when I was growing up. That probably just turned a lot of people off, and I apologize, but know that I’m not completely ignorant to the amazing body of work this NJ group has put together over their long career of making music. It’s only really been within the past year I’ve gotten to know Senses Fail’s catalog at the intense instruction of my girlfriend. She always said Senses Fail has been around so long because they aren’t afraid to reinvent themselves, try tons of different genres, and because the singer likes the band Bane. Before I listened to Senses Fail’s new record Renancer, I went back and listened through their other albums, and if there is one thing that’s clear about this record it’s this: Senses Fail is going through a rebirth. And let me tell you, this progression is killer.

The thing about Renancer is how absolutely relentless it is. It’s hard, it’s tough, but it never crosses the line of being self-indulgent amounts of heavy. Senses Fail is fast when they need to be fast, but then give you slow, mosh-inducing breaks like towards the end of “Holy Mountain.” Musically, this album will bridge the gap between the pop-punk/punk Senses Fail fans and introduce them to what hardcore is. While there are some parts of Renancer that is more reminiscent of the Warped Tour style of hardcore, this album clearly fits in with the new wave of hardcore that has been making a killing recently. While the hardcore dude in me doesn’t want to like the clean vocal / screaming verses of this record, I can’t help but enjoy it. If that loses me some hardcore cred, sue me. I’ll still kick your ass at the Judge reunion this May.

What drew me into this record first though was most certainly the lyrics. Senses Fail lyrics are kind of all over the place in terms of themes and content, but the one thing that has always stayed consistent is the overall quality. Renancer deals a lot with positive growth, moving on, and becoming the best version of yourself. By no means is this a new topic, especially in hardcore, but Buddy Nielson and the rest of the group tackles this sentiment in their own unique way. I lost my mind the first time “Closure/Rebirth” played, because of its incredible power and urgency.

Will Renancer be on repeat for a while? Yeah. Will this album be the best album of the year? Probably not. But this record is a testament to why Senses Fail have stayed relevant for so long. Senses Fail know how to write great records, and they consistently put out quality releases that speak for themselves. And that’s something a lot of bands simply cannot, and will not be able to say.

SCORE: 8/10
Written By: Tyler Osborne

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Tyler Osborne

Live in DC, grew up in PA. I specialize in writing, filming and taking pictures about punk, pop-punk, and hardcore music, and I also have a huge background in film as well. When not on the site, i'm running my own internet radio show, ToZ's Edge Radio (www.facebook.com/tozedgeradio). I also love stage diving and goldfish.

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