Band: Touche Amore
Album: Is Survived By
Genre: Post-Hardcore
Label: Deathwish Inc.

The first time I heard Touché Amoré I was in a dark church basement in Philadelphia, getting ready to see hometown favorites Title Fight and The Menzingers. I had heard nothing about Touché other than the claims of a fan waiting in line who excitedly told me how they were absolutely sure I would be a fan of the band following their set. To this day, I have not had such a visceral love after seeing a band perform without any previous knowledge of them going in. They were everything I needed; intense-yet-melodic, and they tapped into a level of emotion I was presently ready to deal with. I consumed all of their releases with an obsessive fervor, especially their most recent release at that point, Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me, which quickly catapulted itself into one of my favorite records of all time. It was with much anticipation that I waited for Is Survived By, Touché Amoré’s newest release on Deathwish Inc, and damn, was it worth the wait.

In my first listen through, I wanted to absorb I Survived By purely as a fan, and I quickly fell in love with Touché Amoré’s new, more refined sound. Some will probably argue that Is Survived By is not as heavy as the band’s previous releases, and they’re right, but true fans will learn over time that is not bad thing. The record may have a more melodic feel to it, but by no means does that make it a less intense experience. May it be the fast paced onslaught of drums and guitar in “Kerosene” or “DNA,” Touché Amoré have kept the manic energy of their previous records, but have also added a new weapon to their growing sonic arsenal: they know when to slow down. We heard hints of this on Parting the Sea…, but it’s showcased in full force on Is Survived By. Be it the beautiful “Non-Fiction,” which is admittedly one of the most touching things Touché has ever written musically, or the gorgeous opening to “Harbor,” the band highlights all of the more frantic moments on the record by juxtaposing it with intricate song writing that doesn’t end after a minute-and-a-half or less. Is Survived By is a more focused, well-written album, and is more engaging to listen to in turn. Touché Amoré are embodying what progression truly means, and they didn’t have to change their sound completely to make something new. Instead, they pushed themselves to create something that stems off of what worked previously, and brought their musicianship to new heights.

Is Survived By is a record about legacy. It’s about finding what you want to leave behind, how you want to affect the people you love, and struggling with yourself to become the person you need in order to be happy. More often than not, when bands get to their third full length and later, ideas seem dialed in and emotions that have already been previously explored get rehashed in a different form. Touché Amoré faces this concept head-on with what is one of my favorite songs, “To Write Content,” which talks about a cyclical music industry that rewards uninspired bands and ideas. As Is Survived By progresses through the tracks, we get to hear singer Jeremy Bolm become more and more content, and if I may say, confident, in who he is. Previous records have dealt with darker themes of finding one’s self, but now we get to hear a certain level of positivity and hope. Bolm knows he doesn’t have all the answers to his own problems, because to think that would be naïve and ignorant for any living human. But what Bolm apparently has found is some sense of balance in life. Where Bolm is finding that balance, may it be his music or his loved ones, is none of our business, but it is his sense of growing peace that is delivered to the listener.

Life has been crushing me lately, but any time I listen to Is Survived By I become refocused, and honestly a little excited for that next chapter in life. If a record can be so beautifully and powerfully written where it can calm me down to the point where I am confident in the face of all the seemingly insurmountable pressures in my life, I think it’s fair to say that record is truly significant.

Is Touché Amoré’s new record the best album of the year? For some, probably not. We all have our tastes, and records will always resonate different from person to person. That being said, I for one have a hard time believing I will find a record that I become so emotionally attached to so quickly, or one that blows me away musically as much as Is Survived By already has in the short time it has been a part of my life.

SCORE: 10/10

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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