Touché Amoré - Stage Four

Music | October 26th, 2016

By Jack Stenerson

California hardcore band Touché Amoré have never followed the trends when it comes to their genre. They have carved out their own niche in the scene through deeply emotional records with instrumentation that draws influences from genres beyond their own.

Their fourth album, Stage Four, was released September 16. This new collection of songs deals exclusively with the death of frontman Jeremy Bolm’s mother, who lost her battle with cancer on Halloween 2014. It addresses the wide range of emotions he was going through, mainly the guilt of not being with her more while she was sick.

Stage Four opens with the powerful “Flowers and You.” The band’s forte is writing memorable record intros that set the stage for the songs to come. The airy guitar and subdued drums that start this track are no exception. It soon jumps into a wall of aggression, with Bolm’s vocals as raw as ever, declaring “I’m heartsick and well rehearsed/ highly decorated with a badge that reads ‘it could be worse.’” The track eventually breaks into a singing interlude, which is a first for the band and a beautiful contrast to the usual hardcore vocals.

After listening to the first song, I already know this is their best record.

It is hard to pick a favorite song, but some highlights are “New Halloween”, “Eight Seconds” and “Skyscraper.”

“New Halloween” finds Bolm exactly one year after his mother’s death, still guilt-ridden for not being there with her the day she passed. The major key chord progressions suggest a happy tone, but are perfectly contrasted with his heartbreaking lyrics. It is easily the most powerful song the band has ever written.

“Eight Seconds” elaborates on the day described in “New Halloween” and centers around a short voicemail he received while he was playing a show across the country informing him that his mother passed away. This song provides one of the most powerful lyrics and reinforces the theme of the record, “She passed away about an hour ago while you were onstage living the dream.”

“Skyscraper” is the second to last track and a huge stylistic shift for the band. It solely features a deep singing vocal, which only adds to the emotion conveyed in the song. The guitars remain subdued, allowing the lyrics to shine through. Boom describes his mother’s love for New York City and her dying wish to visit. The band also released a music video for the song which shows Bolm pushing an empty wheelchair around Manhattan. It is beautifully shot and adds so much to the emotion of the song.

“Touché Amoré” pushes the boundaries of the band’s own style and hardcore in general. They have evolved from the chaotic hardcore band that released “To the Beat of a Dead Horse” into a band that has released one of the most emotional and beautifully written albums of the year.

They were able to capture the feeling of losing a loved one and translate it into a cohesive collection of 12 songs. From the central theme to the new singing element, they took a big risk with Stage Four but delivered and surpassed all expectations. Even if you are not a fan of hardcore, give this album a spin and you will be pleasantly surprised.

“Stage Four” is available now on Epitaph Records.

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