Review Summary: A triumph, and an important one at that.
It’s been a week now that I’ve had the pleasure of becoming accustomed with
Wait For Love (don’t tell the government that though), and yet I still struggle to put into words just how
powerful this album is. It’s everything
Keep You should have been; instead of stuck between a transition period,
Wait For Love is a statement. A powerful, expansive magnum opus that strings you along with beauty and leaves you begging for more. It’s expansive, beautiful, a complete package. And it’s one of the most important listens of the year.
Huh. I guess that wasn’t so hard.
Wait For Love, compared to the rather slow burn of
Keep You, is a massive album. Pianos Become The Teeth have completely rid themselves of (the admittedly excellent) melodic hardcore sound of
The Lack Long After, and sound far better for it.
Wait For Love ebbs and flows without a care, mixing post-rock leanings with alt-rock to create an atmospheric environment that calms rather than overwhelms, but still has the trademark Pianos sound. ‘Fake Lighting’ opens the album with rather intricate drums that are broken up with expansive passages of far-away guitars, lead by a confident vocal performance from Kyle Durfey. Gone is the uneasy, low-key vocals of
Keep You, and in its place is a confident, fully realised performance that propels the album further than it could ever had with his previous vocal style. Although his pained harsh vocals are noticeably absent, the contrast his purely clean vocal style brings is important to the album. His delivery on slower cuts like ‘Dry Spells’ and the cave-esque ‘Bay of Dreams’ showcase this brilliantly, allowing his rather enticing voice to breathe life into a band who was on the brink a mere two years ago.
And the instrumentals are no slouch either. They easily transition from merely a background element to an important centrepiece, allowing each song to sound like their own without needing a sudden shift in environment. The post-rock vibes to the guitars add surprising depth on songs like ‘Love On Repeat’ as they juxtapose Kyle’s vocals perfectly, never overpowering but daring to do just that. Percussion is plentiful, and still leaves the album on the verge of old sounds, such as on track ‘Manila’, but thankfully maintains a measured demeanour while still sounding adventurous. The bassline, which is thankfully abundant, provides a much needed darker tone without overpowering; a looming evil that stays in the shadows and contrasts much of the album, even with its already slower feel.
It’s important to note, then, that
Wait For Love is perhaps the least Pianos Become The Teeth album in a long time. For a band who created an important album (
The Lack Long After) and one that struggled with being one (
Keep You),
Wait For Love beams new light onto a band who had long been looking for that new sound. The album is dense, melodic, and beautiful, and it’s all brought together by closer ‘Blue’. A love letter to Kyle’s father, a figure very much present on previous albums, it brings the last few years of his life to a stellar close, allowing himself to finally welcome the beautiful future he has laid for himself. And the importance of this song can’t be overstated, as it’s the best representation of
Wait For Love overall; a step forward in life, a beautiful statement of love, and a band who’s finally found who they are.
4.6/5
Recommended Tracks: Blue, Fake Lighting, Love On Repeat
