Touché Amoré
Is Survived By: Revived
DEATHWISH
It’s March 24, 2017, and a post-hardcore quintet from LA at the top of their game is about to play the Mardi Gras Ballroom, a dilapidated little wedding reception venue in the little city of Boise, Idaho. Everything about the situation seems like small potatoes, even though the performance is part of a multi-day music festival taking place across the city. That is, until a litany of young music fans barge into the venue to catch the indomitable Touché Amoré.
The anticipation crescendos, the band takes the stage, and with a single stroke of guitar, Clayton Stevens sparks a near-riot that would’ve left any bride, groom, or wedding attendee aghast. The swarm of hardcore heathens topple over each other to high-five perpetually screaming vocalist Jeremy Bolm—or, more daringly, ambush the pseudo-stage to give props to the other band members. Rhythm guitarist Nick Steinhardt, bassist Tyler Kirby, and drummer Elliot Babin remain unperturbed, committed to delivering selections from the first 10 years of Touché Amoré’s career. Those witnessing the fiery affair at the reception hall are laser-focused, too, intent on catching every thunderous note of a set that mines the quintet’s 2013 effort, Is Survived By, among their other three full-length releases.
Seven years after that surreal, larger-than-life throwdown, the unquenchable Touché Amoré haven’t lost any of their ferocity, most recently evidenced by 2020’s Lament. Year after year, they continue to silence any concerns about their commitment to innovative, emo-inflected music, which in their case is comprised of body-blow-blasts of angular guitars, hoarse vocals, and a rhythm section that steadfastly adheres to melodic mastery. Similarly, the band is committed to ensuring their legacy, as evidenced by this revisitation of Is Survived By. The record—which documents Bolm wrestling with his self-worth—remains the highest-charting release of Touché Amoré’s career, at least thus far. But while still head and shoulders above so many other post-hardcore albums cut from a similar cloth, the record is the only one from the band that drew a small but notable number of detractors—including Bolm, who has publicly complained over the years about its sound quality.
The 30-minute record captures the technically proficient yet no less immediate crew playing at breakneck speed almost the whole way through—save well-placed gasps of fresh air roughly every few songs. Ten years later, the record—Touché Amoré’s last on Deathwish before signing to Epitaph—is back and better than ever. Original producer Brad Wood (who also captained the soundboard on records by Sunny Day Real Estate and The Jesus Lizard) returned to expertly remix Is Survived By so that it sounds crisper, with a cleaner separation of sound that does far more justice to the tight-as-fuck performances by each band member. Emily Lazar, who worked on the band’s 2016 successor Stage Four, ices the cake with a remastered sound that shines bright without too much polish.
All in all, the team effort put into revitalizing the record pays off so handsomely that it should tide over fans waiting for Touché Amoré’s just-about-due next album. For anyone cynically and erroneously questioning whether this is just another chance to capitalize on an album’s 10-year anniversary, look no further than to Bolm himself. After telling the press he wished Is Survived By sounded more like its successor, here’s what he said about Wood’s handiwork on the new version: “He killed it.” Wish granted.
