Touche Amore are a thought provoking, passionate hardcore/punk band from Los Angeles, California.
In February of 2011, Touche Amore piled into their beat up tour van
in an Los Angeles suburb and set off on a twenty six hour journey to
Eudora, Kansas. With a population of just over four thousand people,
Eudora may be a peculiar place for a punk band to go, but nestled in its
rural isolation is acclaimed engineer Ed Rose and his Black Lodge
Studios (formerly Redhouse Recording Studio). There under Rose's
attentive ears, Touche Amore poured their patchwork soul into their
latest work, "Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me".
In "Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me", Touche Amore's
creative formula is driven by emotional affect, not contemporary studio
effects. In the purest form possible, raw shouted vocals and clean manic
guitars fight for volume over roomy bass and percussion. Creating a
sound that is shockingly simple as it is emotionally engaging. The
serene and fragile opening notes of "Tilde" serve as the album's
introductory serenade before Touche Amore pound and jangle into the
hook-laden song. And seconds later, when vocalist/lyricist Jeremy Bolm
screams "...I'm parting the sea between brightness and me...", a tone of
desperation sets in that resonates throughout the duration of the
album. His straight forward cries convincingly tell his own personal
story. To some, this lyrical writing could read as a diary based purely
in self deprecation, but his words cut and pull from a much deeper place
in the heart. Serving as an open window into his constant soul
searching amid life's constant trials and tribulations. Songs like "Home
Away From Here" and "Sesame" are great examples of this, infectious in
their sound and moving lyrical spirit. While "Method Act" and the
emotional "Condolences" show the band experimenting with epic leanings
while maintaining their beloved trademark character. Without a doubt,
Touche Amore's "Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me" is a stunning
full length achievement on any scale. Proving that there is true beauty
within the concept of artistic simplicity.