Touche Amore's “Is Survived By” is a fantastic third-album follow up to Parting The Sea Between You and Me. It’s the connecting piece between the two albums and has a lasting appeal that will keep listeners happy for a long time.
This album is just as intense, fast-paced and hardcore as previous albums, but with this record Touche Amore has created songs that actually sound more like songs. There is more structure and creative design to their hardcore-story telling style. This has made the album feel complete, while remains ever-so ambitious and dynamic in all senses. Musically, the drumming is once again very diverse and flows extremely well with each song. Drummer Elliot Babin really controls the songs and makes them his own. The guitarists have made a more diverse record and the tones they used on this album are fantastic. The music alone feels like it’s telling part of a story, and with Jeremy Bolm’s lyrics and bouncy vocal patterns the story seems complete. Though some moments feels a bit generic or “cheesy”, Bolm does a great job on this record.
His voice has points of being lifeless or monotone, but that doesn’t take away too much of the record. Is Survived By is a great album and definitely a step up from previous releases for Touché Amoré. What made people originally hooked on this band is still there and with the broader dynamics musically this album should attract some new listeners. For fans of La Dispute, and Therefore I Am. Is Survived By will be released on September 24th.
8.5/10
- Ryan
