Album Review: Title Fight/Touche Amore - 'Split'

This year’s Record Store Day inspired many bands to come together and fuse their separate sounds in a split collaboration. Some of these were effective, others were not. Two such bands, to the absolute delight of their fans were Touché Amore and Title Fight, and their Record Store Day split release, which sees each band cover one of the other’s songs, falls into the category of success. Taking into consideration the last major releases of both bands, Title Fight with 'Shed', and Touché Amore with 'Parting the Sea', it’s no surprise that their collaboration works as well as it does. A fantastic show of the skill and unrelenting passion of both bands, this cover split is not only a really cool idea, but also retains the relevance of both bands in the hardcore scene today.

On one side of the split we are delivered Touché Amore’s slower, darker rendition of Title Fight’s ‘Crescent Shaped Depression’. The track begins in true Touché style, deceptively quiet, before an erratic, rhythmic drumming and heavily layered guitar work join Jeremy’s guttural scream. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for Touché, who have clearly by now refined their haunting post-hardcore sound as distinct from the counterparts in their scene.

Title Fight’s cover of Touché Amore’s ‘Ghost Face’ is the more aggressive, louder track of the two, although the two artists screams are uncannily similar, echoing each other with a style and edge that may be difficult to distinguish for listeners unfamiliar with the vocals of each band. In ‘Ghost Face’ Title Fight balance their harsher sound with an emphasis on melody and variant of pace that lends an emo tinge to the track, similar to that of Basement. Although difficult to tell from just one song, its possible that Title Fight may be adapting their sound to incorporate elements of 90’s emo that previously haven’t dominated in their work.

Both Touche Amore and Title Fight have earned their place at the top of the post-hardcore pile, and it's this rather unique Record Store Day Split that proves it. A release that is sure to be on repeat for most of their fans, and may just be the push those unsure about jumping on the post-hardcore bandwagon closer to getting over the line.

Touche Amore

1. Crescent Shaped Depression

Title Fight

2. Ghost Face