Touché Amoré talks new music ahead of tour stops in Southern California – Daily News

Touché Amoré does not claim to have a definitive methodology for getting out of a disaster spiral.

Lead guitarist Clayton Stevens and bassist Tyler Kirby, the subject of the band’s album “Spiral in a Straight Line,” due out Friday, Oct. 11 on Rise Records, have some advice for fans: life.

“We are all looking for and doing anything that will make us feel whole and complete,” Stevens said on a Zoom call. “It’s always a never-ending journey, so I don’t know if it’s our job to tell people how to cope. We owe our audience some respect and honesty. It’s up to people to connect with it in their own way and discover how to navigate it. “Don’t be so hard on yourself and accept the fact that sometimes you won’t be okay, but you’ll get through this.”

Touché Amoré will embark on a tour starting at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles on October 9th, with an additional stop at the Casbah in San Diego on October 11th. Spirit GloDepiction of Guilt and Soft Blue Glow.

“We’re going to give it our all and give people a really good hardcore show,” Stevens said. “I can easily say that we are behind the team you will see. A lot of people across the country haven’t had the chance to hear a band like Soft Blue Shimmer open, and I highly recommend people get to the show early because if you don’t you’ll soon be kicking yourself.

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From LR: Touché Amoré’s Jeremy Bolm, Elliot Babin, Tyler Kirby, Nick Steinhardt and Clayton Stevens will perform at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 9th and at The Casbah in San Diego on Friday, October 11th . (Photo: Sean Stout)

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“Spiral in a Straight Line” marks the band’s sixth album release and is perhaps one of their most unshakable albums. The record has all the essential hallmarks of a product by Touché Amoré: fusions of loud rhythmic instruments led by frontman Jeremy Bolm’s poetic primitive delivery, all delivered, of course, non-stop in under 30 minutes. Songs like “Disasters” and “Force of Habit” exude mentally spiraling themes, with lyrics that include internalized doubt and negative thoughts that can turn into vague self-deprecation.

“‘Spiral in a Straight Line’ is probably our most aggressive record since ‘Parting the Sea Between the Shine and Me,'” Kirby said. “We went back a little bit in that respect, but it all felt very natural.”

The album also includes collaborations with lo-fi king and founding member Lou Barlow. Dinosaur Jr.. and with our returning collaborator Julien Baker boyHis vocals on the closing track “Goodbye For Now” offer a chilling melodic contrast with Bolm’s jarring vocals and the chaotic beats of the drums and guitars.

Another standout single is the catchy pop-punk style “Hal Ashby,” which references the director and nods to the film industry with visuals of theater concession stands and the iconic vintage Paramount studio logo. and staying on par with the theme of the album. The single’s lyrics also remain on par with the album’s themes: “A misguided Hal Ashby disaster/Not exactly what you plan on being/You’ve got to handle it gracefully.”

This isn’t the first time the Burbank-based group has paid tribute to the filmmakers. Song “Palm Tree DreamsIt honors the experimental and surrealist director David Lynch from their fourth album “Stage Four”. Stevens said growing up in Los Angeles, a city vital to the film industry, and with people working on sets in production influenced the band’s music.

“Growing up here, seeing film artifacts around us has given us a unique perspective, and that plays a huge role in all of us as individuals,” Stevens said. “We try to allow that to enter our art, either subconsciously or consciously.”

The band also welcomed back legendary producer Ross Robinson, who collaborated with them on their previous album “Lament”. Also known as the “Godfather of Nu Metal,” Robinson earned this title by working on some of the most prolific albums of the era. slipknotSoulfly and Korn‘s self-titled albums. He has also worked with post-hardcore icons Glassjaw, At The Drive-In and moody British rockers. Treatment.

Robinson’s production methods were described as unorthodox, allegedly due to throwing. The late Slipknot drummer’s potted plants Joey Jordison will catch the visceral meltdown Korn frontman Jonathan Davis She’s in the studio after recording “Daddy,” a song about Davis’ childhood caregiver sexual abuse and the dismissive response she received from her parents after she brought it to her attention.

But in their work together, Stevens and Kirby said their experiences with Robinson were not as ordinary as some stories. Stevens said the band and producer had gelled pretty well on their previous albums, and by the end they felt creatively in sync, as if they weren’t quite done working together.

“Make no mistake, Ross is a complex person and sometimes he is our biggest cheerleader and sometimes he is our drill sergeant,” Stevens said. “It demands complete focus, attention to your art, and seriousness in the process. He has no preconceptions about what the band should be like and I think that’s great and different compared to a lot of producers. “We all have great respect for Ross.”

“His creativity is so contagious, and I’ve never met anyone more creative in my life,” Kirby added. “Just being around his energy is very inspiring. The important thing is to match the emotion of the lyric or melody and distill it through the music.”

“Spiral in a Straight Line” is one of Touché Amoré’s many accomplishments during their nearly 20-year relationship. Like many of their fans who have transitioned from being tough kids to adulthood with the tough kid inside them, they are aware that the future of punk rock and hardcore will always belong to the youth.

“Young people decide what connects to that moment,” Stevens said. “Youth will always rise to the moment. I truly believe this. Yes, older people, if we’re calling people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, people who are older still connect with music because music is bigger than all of that. That’s the beauty of hardcore, it can bring us all together.”

Touché Amoré

Where: Regent Theatre, 448 Main St, Los Angeles.

When: Wednesday, October 9th at 7:00 pm.

Tickets: $42.25 ticketmaster.com.

Moreover: Friday, October 11, 8:30 p.m., The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Ticket prices are between $27-30 casbahmusic.com.