Review Summary: This EP is another bullet to add to the resume that both La Dispute and Touche Amore build as they push the boundaries of hardcore further.
19 of 19 thought this review was well writtenTwo hardcore giants come together melding a fantastic EP that will appeal to several fans of the sub divisions within the growing genre. The split is a marvelous mix of post hardcore kindled with furious passion and ominous expressions that gratify all aspects of both bands. While
Touche Amore loves dabbling with the more straight up style of hardcore the accompanying aesthetics of
La Dispute are able to diversify their sound to a profound elegance often missing from
…To the Beat of A Dead Horse. Likewise
Touche Amore provide a rugged twist to the dismal bounce
La Dispute find themselves carving their niche in from time to time. As soon as the compilation kicks off with “I’ll Get My Just Deserve” the justified balance between the two bands is met with melodic riffs soaring over the two leading vocalists trading off. This is a relative aspect to the split being its strongest trait - that is the dy-na-MIGHT interplay between Jeremy and Jordan.
The only unfortunate facet of the album is the fact that there is a supreme difference in its strengths between the two bands offerings. “How I Feel” is certainly the albums highlight with a heartbreaking centerpiece driving its controlled chaos. Of course this song is catered to Jordan Dreyer’s brilliant lyrics “Don’t we all just die? Don’t we all, don’t we all? When you look at the light, did it hurt your eyes?”, but these things serve
La Dispute to shine brighter than
Touche Amore on most accounts, and it doesn’t help that the aggression that Jeremy and company can display on the drop of a dime is also utilized to boost
La Dispute’s tracks. This essentially creates a rift; although
Touche Amore can and does hold their weight after their time has passed its nearly forgotten, especially when Jordan starts singing and Jeremy underlines with wrenching screams to accentuate “Why It Scares Me”, “And if my heart just stops, keep me alive for a minute, I wanna know if the curtain drops”. This isn’t to say that the first half of the EP doesn’t have its fair share of awing moments; however a lot of these instances come with the aid of Jordan Dreyer. The epic breakdown that closes out “I’ll Deserve Just That” is breathtaking in its own merit, beautiful set-ups of instrumental cut offs highlighting the estranged voices, but it’s with the help of Jordan that the track reaches such a monument.
Of course these problems are not something that truly burdens the compilation because fans of either band will certainly find places to lay their abundant amounts of love.
Touche Amore present all the grittiness that fans fell head over heels for on their breakout LP. Just as well,
La Dispute is just as endearing in their aggressiveness as they were on
Somewhere At the Bottom…. This in turn provides fine fashion since the coalescing of these two styles is damn well near flawless. Aside from the obvious, which was only an attempt to critique the disc at its core, the album is a perfect presentation of hardcore gliding on its beautiful modern vessel. The two bands weave a macramé of insightful styling across their groove shredding platform that keeps them lightly tethered to the genre. In short this EP is another bullet to add to the resume that both
La Dispute and
Touche Amore build as they push the boundaries of hardcore further.
