Album Review: Touche Amore - 'Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me'

Ever notice how some groups seem to earn respect amongst circles of those in the know fairly quickly? Los Angeles band Touché Amore are one of those groups, who have swiftly earned said respect thanks to their unique mix of modern hardcore and screamo. Their recently released second album, ‘Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me,’ is the point where they either cement that respect for good, or lose it just as quickly as it came.

On first impression, it does not seem as unique as its predecessor, 2009’s ‘...To the Beat of a Dead Horse,’ possibly due only to the fact that we know what to expect from the band. It is however an extremely catchy and more melody heavy record than the debut, which teeters on the brink of plain sounding hardcore at times, but is saved by the fact that the band are just really good.

The songs come in short little bursts, only one track cracks the two-minute mark, meaning this album ends quicker than you would probably want it to. Openers ~ and Pathfinder let the listener know two things straight away, the first is that the guitars will be the main musical feature on the record, the second is that the dynamics of the songs will be what makes them so good.

You can’t help but wonder what this band would be like if they doubled the length of their songs as there is never a section that is around long enough to become tiresome. This may be the group’s plan, and they still manage to make the songs seem complete despite their short lengths. Method Act changes within itself continually and features some great energy. The album, recorded by Ed Rose, was completed in only five days with the band being recorded live instead of separately. This method is used more and more in this genre these days (The Chariot for example) and seems to be effective, as the music needs vigour to be communicated properly.

The record ends with the extremely catchy Home Away From Here, and Amends, a great example of the finer tuned song-writing abilities of the band.

Touché Amore are moving within their own space with ‘Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me,’ and trying new things to keep everything interesting for both themselves and the fans, the result of which is a really solid record. As for the respect, consider it locked in.

1. ~
2. Pathfinder
3. The Great Repetition
4. Art Official
5. Uppers / Downers
6. Crutch
7. Method Act
8. Face Ghost
9. Sesame
10. Wants / Needs
11. Condolences
12. Home Away from Here
13. Amends