Surviving (Revived)

Touché Amoré

Surviving (Revived)

Death wish

January 29, 2024
Web Exclusive

By Marc Abbott

L.A. hardliners first release Touché Amoré Surviving fromHis cathartic, brittle and rough rumination on his personal legacy a decade ago, but continues to hold his own in a screamo universe so often either lyrically impenetrable or melodically light.

To say that this record has become more refined since its subsequent remix and remaster, in the hands of the album's original producer Brad Wood, would be disingenuous. It has become more “cleaned” than “polished”. The reason for the anniversary remaster, says frontman Jeremy Bolm, is that he “always struggled a lot with the way this record sounds.” However, after Wood and Emily Lazar's attention, “this middle ground was found where everything complements each other and there is much more clarity overall.”

And it's clear that Bolm's songwriting is searching throughout, with a trademark intensity of both narrative (because some of these songs, like “To Write Content,” are purely conversational) and delivery. The desire to be understood, to establish one's place, to understand one's past and to recognize what one will leave behind is universal, but Bolm makes this quest his own.

Throughout this sub-30 minute juggernaut, which veers from hardcore anthem to post rock instrumental, Bolm's burbling, hands-on delivery sometimes makes you forget when you last exhaled. album opener “Just Exist” ponders out loud, “I don't know what my legacy will be/A song, some words I wrote, or a child I'll never see,” and we're hooked.

The pace has always been, and remains, exemplary. Bolm et al. you seem to understand that you may need a breather between periods of purging. The melodic “Praise / Love” precedes “DNA” and its stark line, “My father's a helper, but my father made mistakes/I see myself in him, as I'm a product of his ways.” Instrumental interlude (one of the longest tracks here, at north of three minutes) “Non Fiction” follows the achievement of the previous song (“Social Butterfly”) in something approaching that elusive clarity: “It's not for nothing, but I've seen a transformation/As if I consider my happiness for the first time in many years.” And, in turn, it acts as a preparatory leap for Bolm's open-hearted willingness to learn and grow that is revealed in “Steps.”

To accompany the remix/remaster, the physical packaging (and I am doing buy the physical package) of Surviving from gets a full range of artwork color options, plus extensive essays by band members and collaborators, as well as new liner notes.

That Surviving from continues to resonate a decade later perhaps providing the answer it did to its original writing and release. What better impact is there than still being on the lips—and in the ears—of a devoted fan? One thing's for sure: this record retains the ability to draw you in, spit you out, and drag you into an evening of soul-searching. Could I be better? Could I ask more? What informs my behavior? Will they remember me? And, if so, how? It is a record of universal hope and philosophical significance. And that's not too shabby of a legacy, is it? (www.toucheamore.com)

Author Rating: 8/10