Troubled Coast – I’ve Been Thinking About Leaving You EP
Record Label: Pure Noise Records
Release Date: January 17, 2012
Apparently Pure Noise Records is my favorite label now. With a semi-diverse stable of new school-meets-old school punk and hardcore bands, the diminutive label seems to be able to achieve what Crossroads of America Records used to do a few years ago when I was even a bigger fucking baby than I am now. The courtship between me and Pure Noise may have started with downtrodden pop-punkers The Story So Far, but it’s most certainly hit a high note with the La Dispute-disciples, Troubled Coast.
On the 7-member group’s latest EP, I’ve Been Thinking About Leaving You, there’s certainly anguish, which unsurprisingly is delivered in the gruff, speak-yell of Mile Scornaienchi. Whereas groups of this size may often step on each other’s Vans slipon-covered toes, Troubled Coast create an amazing amount of space throughout the chaos. On a track like “La Jatee,” there’s grand moments of catharsis nuzzled up against spacious guitar meanderings. It works because in types of tunes like these, where the seriousness is laid on thick and heavy, the listener needs a moment to sort of internalize all the intensity. That’s why normally cheesy alt-rock moments like the bridge (offered up by labelmate Matt Vincent of The American Scene) on “Patient Hands” become welcome respites to the doom-gloom-repeat format.
And I don’t mean to seem like I can’t handle a little post-hardcore in my diet. Because, really, I can. (Honest!) I just tend to think the continual gut-punching of both lyrical content and guitar work can make even an EP come full circle a little too quickly. On 6-minute standout “The First Night of the New World,” there is plenty of runtime to give the band license to uncuff themselves from what we all expect. Beginning with Scornaienchi’s semi-poetry that morphs into a force of baritone growls, it’s a song that, by mashing many of post-hardcore’s tropes into one another, becomes something altogether refreshing. With lyrics like, “This is the world of the poorly assembled class / Of stone hands and sinewy flesh / So worn from digging of the dead,” the listener is treated to something a bit more intellectual than the drivel that seems to come when someone rips apart their vocal chords.
On “I’m Still A Loner, Dottie,” the band perhaps most efficiently finds its defining characteristics. Gang vocals and Scornaienchi trade real moments of reflection on top of high-pitched guitar peaks that wouldn’t be out of place in a post rock climax. It’s still a love letter to its peers, but there’s enough rocking variation throughout I Was Thinking About Leaving You to mark Troubled Coast as a band poised to gain a heck of a lot of new followers. So even though “reinventing the wheel” doesn’t really exist anymore, at least in this genre, Troubled Coast do a pretty damn good job keeping us entertained, keeping us thinking and keeping us yelling along.
Recommended If You Like: La Dispute, HARBOURS, Foxxes, As Cities Burn
Finished listening to this. Does this have 90s vibe to it too? To me it seems to.
Maybe a '00s vibe. I have no idea what '90s bands you'd refer to, except that the Matt Vincent-sung bridge in question sounds more to me like Brand New than anything (which could be '90s in a roundabout way).
This EP's real good. The latter 2 RIYLs seem a little far-fetched. I would link to my review but it hasn't been posted yet. :(
Maybe a '00s vibe. I have no idea what '90s bands you'd refer to, except that the Matt Vincent-sung bridge in question sounds more to me like Brand New than anything (which could be '90s in a roundabout way).
I'm not really sure how to describe it. It's in more then one song. It's like there's a "grunge" guitar part buried in the mix.
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