Review Summary: Pop Punk/Hardcore without the trendiness.
“All those times I told myself, I’d never end up all alone. I guess I lied.”
Title Fight is a rare gem. This album is by no means a classic, and the songwriting isn’t anything groundbreaking. However, the band itself isn’t the same cookie-cutter pop punk/hardcore band that has been exploding onto the scene lately. Lately the new “trend” is bands that take the intensity of hardcore and add catchy hooks and vocals on top of it. (Four Year Strong, A Day to Remember etc.) However, the music ends up being all the same. A very catch song, with a random breakdown in the middle of it; it does not seem to flow well and it seems the “hardcore” aspect of the band is just so kids have something to do at their live shows. Title fight has in my own opinion has perfected the mesh. Every song flows, has great catchy hooks that put any pop punk band to shame, and the ferocity and emotion of any hardcore band on the scene, AND OMG there are no breakdowns. Take the intensity and chemistry of Kid Dynamite, and the hooks and snags of early Taking Back Sunday, and somewhere in the outcome you’ll Find Title Fight.
“The Last Thing You Forget,” is actually a compilation of Title Fight’s split EP, and their first 7” EP. There are a number of songs that are new as well. Repetition taken into account, the album flows extremely well. All the songs seem to be placed in the right spot, and never leave the listener bored. Opener
Symmetry does exactly what you would expect an opener to do. Introduce you to what the next half hour is going to be like. Dual vocals (both harsh and clean) fast paced punk, with a very melodic chorus. Although Title Fight doesn’t seem to stray too far from this pattern in the rest of the album, the fantastic musicianship as well as lyrical talent never seems to get old. In fact it left me wanting more. One of the most solid tracks on the album
Goldwaite is one of the most impactful, and deeply felt acts of teen angst I’ve heard in years. The simple Idea of a lost relationship and being confined translates into the highlight of the album. There is something everyone can relate to on the record, without seeming too fake, or too whiny.
“The Last Thing You Forget,” is one hell of a debut for Title Fight, and it’s already showing. I remember seeing them in a local bar two years ago, and in a couple months I’ll be seeing them on tour with Bayside. This is not the greatest album I’ve ever heard. It is a gem. It reminds me of why I fell in love with music in the first place. Buy it, download it, do whatever you have to, listen to Title Fight at least once.
“Let this be the last thing you forget.”
Standout Tracks:
Symmetry
Memorial Field
No One Stays At The Top Forever
Goldwaite
