Review Summary: Bit of a Charmer.
There’s been a struggle with how to start this particular write-up over the last week or two. Considering how formative Tigers Jaw has been in my musical journey, the emo-gone-indie stalwarts have always been uniquely difficult to write about. It’s a mismatch between the dynamics of the songwriting and the delivery of the final product. Or maybe they just do something with their production? Or it’s just how they sing?
There’s nothing particularly new or inventive on
Lost on You for the quartet, with dreamy, warm riff leads, expressive acoustic plucking giving depth, and punk drums punk drumming throughout. “BREEZER” embraces a shoegaze aesthetic in an intentional way that we haven’t really heard before. The upbeat and sunny “Ghost” breaks through the overcast skies that cover the rest of the record and the self-titled closer sounds more optimistic than the band has sounded in years. I’d just be hard pressed to call any of it exciting or ambitious.
Here’s the kicker though, it’s a challenge to stop spinning this thing. The dual vocals of “Staring at Empty Faces” are endearing, Brianna Collins’ ethereal verses give way perfectly into Ben Walsh’s more grounded chorus. Lead single “Head Like a Sinking Stone” veers close to self-parody, but its sing-a-long chorus pulls you in all the same. It’s Tigers Jaw 101 and that’s just a damn good starting point. Album centerpiece “Baptized on a Redwood Drive” plods oft-tread paths as well, but then the somber piano melody peaks around the corner and gives an emotional heft to “’Cause time is moving at a pace that I’ve failed to comprehend” that the rest of the album struggles to match.
All of this is to say that the album is quite a positive achievement, but it’s hard to necessarily describe why. There’s plenty to enjoy here, and it blends together seamlessly for better (or worse). Sharing
Lost on You highlight “Light Leaks Through” with a friend recently, the response I received was “felt a little one-note at times, but overall not bad at all!” I guess so, yeah, that’s pretty much it.
