Review Summary: A soft reinvention? Perhaps. All I know is it's f*cking awesome.
I graduated from high school in 2015, though I never really molted from the shell of who I was at that time until a long time after. Neck Deep's
Life's Not Out to Get You came out that same summer, and it was the perfect soundtrack for that blissful grace period of my life; no responsibilties, still young and reckless. I entered the workforce a short time later, but I was still an angsty upstart. Emo music became very prevalent in my life during high school, and those first few years post-graduation were tricky waters to navigate. I guess I needed the familiarity and what I knew that music to be kept me fastened to an incarnation of myself I needed to grow out of. So, when a band of that ilk would dare to try something new (All Time Low's
Last Young Renegade), I was aghast with the thought of that act "selling out", or when another band would attempt to revert to their old ways (Of Mice & Men's
Defy), I championed it as some kind of middle finger to the trends, even if it was vapid, dated metalcore. I wrote off pop music as soulless and beneath me, though to be fair, a lot of 2010s pop is pretty f*cking pitiful. Point remaining, though, I was extremely naive in my late teens-early 20s, and never considered that my mindset would evolve. But then, finally,
I grew up.
The old me would probably have written off
The Jaws of Life, Pierce the Veil's first album in nearly seven God damn years, as a departure from their previous sound, but it's really not. There's definitely a grunge-tinged trippiness to some tracks I don't recall being there before, namely on lead off single "Pass the Nirvana", and as such, it takes a few listens to get used to. But Pierce's instantly recognizable identity is still present all throughout this album. Opener "Death of an Executioner" is a rollicking power jaunt, and the aforementioned "Pass the Nirvana", though it's the only such track on here, features lots of screamed vocals from Vic Fuentes. While "Even When I'm Not With You" never really reaches the payoff or crescendo it seems to be building towards (every time you expect guitars and drums, you get beats and synth washes), it's still a fairly serviceable cut, and makes good use of Fuente's voice. Here and at other points on the album, he puts forth a bit more of a cleaner sounding tonality, which fits hand in glove with the overtly pop leanings the band employs.
"Emergency Contact" seems like a spiritual successor to "Circles", the band's sleeper hit from 2016's
Misadventures, at least with respect to that track's plainer pop punk tendencies. Lyrically, it's nothing like the freewheeling banger the former track was, as Fuentes emphasizes the importance of seeking out help when you need it; "Therapy is tiring, but so is hiding how you feel," he cautions the listener. "Flawless Execution" implements raw, rudimentary instrumentals, featuring a damn near captivating bridge. I'd love to see this live, or to have been a fly on the wall during these recording sessions, watching the band play off each other. The title track follows a similar structure, albeit more subdued and diluted, while still not sacrificing any of the band's charisma. "12 Fractures" closes the album on a poppier note, Fuentes again shining with nimble and polished, but not overly glossy, vocals. Now at 40, his voice seems to show no signs of aging; he honestly wouldn't be out of place singing strictly pop material on the radio. Chloe Moriondo, whom I'd never heard of, contributes guest vocals, conjuring up reminders of Billie Eilish, though much more enunciated. They pair well together, and it's a solid way to close the album, though you can be forgiven for wishing they'd pulled out all the stops for an energetic curtain call.
The Jaws of Life is a more than worthy reintroduction to the band. It's not a blindly or overly cathartic return of the band that made
Selfish Machines, but it doesn't have to be. Pierce the Veil always seemed to stand head and shoulders above their cookie cutter contemporaries, and this album helps them maintain that distance. It evolves their sound without turning them into something they're not, and it's consistently interesting music. I hope they don't disappear for sixteen years again before dropping another album, but I'll be happy to take just a little time to enjoy this one. I wonder what the old me thinks about the album. Does he cut it some slack and say it's misguided grunge worship or are his panties in a wad because PTV "sold out?" Keep your chin up, my friend. Five years from now, you'll be singing Backstreet Boys hits at an open mic.
