Touché Amoré - ‘Spiral In A Straight Line’ review
Touché Amoré by Sean Stout
This Friday, melodic-hardcore stalwarts Touché Amoré unleash their blistering sixth studio album, and their first since signing to Rise Records, Spiral In A Straight Line. For any band, releasing six albums is an impressive milestone—but for a punk band known for their relentless intensity like Touché Amoré, it’s nothing short of a miracle. If Spiral In A Straight Line is anything to go by, they show no signs of slowing down any time soon. The album is a raw exploration of disconnection, anxiety, and self-reflection, delivered with a visceral intensity that has become the band’s hallmark. Picking up where Lament left off, this time, they plunge even deeper into themes of spiralling thoughts and the struggle for emotional stability amidst life’s chaos. Teaming up once again with producer Ross Robinson, the band captures a stark yet cathartic atmosphere, combining Jeremy Bolm’s searing lyrics with their signature blend of post-hardcore urgency and melodic vulnerability.
For a band whose sound is crafted for the tight, dark spaces of underground venues—where you’re lost in a sea of sweaty bodies, breathing the same air as your heroes—they’ve somehow managed to create an album that sounds even better through a pair of headphones, where it feels like Bolm, Clayton Stevens, Nick Steinhardt, Tyler Kirby, and Elliot Babin are narrating and soundtracking your deepest, most chaotic thoughts. The record kicks off with panning guitars before launching full-force into the absolutely blistering “Nobody’s.” This track not only sets the pace for the album’s frenetic sonic landscape in classic Touché Amoré fashion, but it also establishes the record’s core themes. Using concepts of disconnection and performative identity, Bolm critiques a culture of artifice: “All you get is this performance, We’re all performing anyhow.” With lines like that, it nails the album’s focus on navigating a world where everyone is trying to connect but always falling short.
Next up is probably my favourite track on the album, “Disasters.” The moment it kicks in with “Like a fault line, unpredictable like the worst case,” it’s clear Bolm has mastered the art of capturing anxiety and self-doubt through the lens of natural disasters. For anyone who’s been plagued by anxiety and self-doubt, the comparison to an unstoppable force of nature is as vivid as it gets. Over its near three-minute run time, the track’s lyrics portray a protagonist who is both a witness and participant in his own mental collapse, embodying that sense of inevitability and helplessness we know all too well. “Disasters” is more than just a killer track; it’s a perfect depiction of how internal chaos can become a cataclysmic event, where every decision feels like it might end in devastation. Oh, and as if that’s not enough, it’s also a complete masterclass in frantic melodic hardcore, the kind that will have pits turning into absolute war zones when played live.
“Hal Ashby,” borrowing its title from the acclaimed filmmaker, digs into themes of misunderstanding and self-sabotage, drawing parallels to the tragic characters in Ashby’s films: “A misguided Hal Ashby catastrophe, not exactly something you plan to be.” Bolm’s introspective lyrics reflect on his own tendency to misread situations and overanalyse them, capturing the essence of a personal disaster unfolding in real-time. With its melancholic yet urgent tone, it’s as close as Touché Amoré get to self-therapy, translating self-doubt into raw catharsis.
Musically, “Force of Habit” allows the band to take a breath, standing out as one of the album’s slower moments. But that doesn’t mean it holds back in terms of impact. Over its run, the song tackles the struggle to break free from long-standing routines and compulsions. Using mundane actions like counting steps or hesitating to wear a seatbelt, Bolm paints a picture of how deeply these patterns can become ingrained, subtly shaping our lives and relationships. It’s one of those tracks that manages to capture the internal tug-of-war between comfort and curse, showing how these habits ultimately dictate who we are.
At just over two minutes, “Mezzanine” is the shortest track on Spiral In A Straight Line, but Touché Amoré squeeze every drop of brilliance from it. The song grapples with burnout and the emotional weight of unresolved issues, capturing the tension between wanting to preserve the past and feeling compelled to let go. Filled with references to personal relics and fragmented memories, the lyrics reflect on the difficulty of deciding what to keep and what to discard in the face of change.
“Altitude,” clocking in at 3:26, feels almost epic for a hardcore punk album. Over its length, Bolm tries to gain perspective, only to find that clarity remains elusive even at the peak: “Was I impressed that it happened?” The track highlights the ongoing struggle for balance and stability—suggesting that even when you think you’ve achieved something meaningful, the spiral doesn’t stop. It’s all about the journey, not the destination.
What makes Spiral In A Straight Line so great is that it manages to bottle the atmosphere of a chaotic, sweat-drenched punk show and deliver it straight into your ears. By the time we hit “This Routine,” you can almost feel stray elbows flying around your head. Bolm uses the banal details of everyday life—like soaking dishes and counting down days—to illustrate the numbing effect of monotony on personal relationships and self-worth. The protagonist acknowledges his dissatisfaction but struggles to break free, making the song a powerful portrayal of quiet despair masked by routine.
But just when you think Touché Amoré might ease up, “Finalist” proves they’re not done by a long shot. With its raw intensity, the track meditates on loneliness and the challenge of accepting change. Stark and honest, Bolm wrestles with the fear of adapting to a new reality, confronting the confusion and pain of finding oneself isolated.
Featuring guest vocals from Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr., “Subversion (Brand New Love)” offers a much-needed moment to catch your breath. The track explores the conflict between craving new beginnings and being weighed down by old baggage. Reflecting a yearning to escape past mistakes, the lyrics make it a poignant take on the difficulty of starting over when you’re still entangled in your history.
The penultimate track, “The Glue,” is a lament for being the one who holds things together, even as everything is falling apart: “Held together by spit and a wish, The foundation’s cracked, the foundation split.” It’s the sound of exhaustion and emotional burnout, wrapped up in Bolm’s voice as he faces the futility of trying to repair what’s already broken.
And then we get to the closer, “Goodbye For Now,” featuring Julien Baker. I know I said “Disasters” was my favourite, but if I’m allowed to have a joint favourite, it’s this one. The song brings together the album’s more frantic and quieter elements, serving up a heartfelt farewell that grapples with the pain of letting go while acknowledging the need to move forward. “We say goodbye for now, and I’ll try to come around,” Bolm sings, filled with sorrow yet acceptance. It’s a stunning way to wrap up Spiral In A Straight Line, perfectly capturing the record’s themes of spiralling out of control while still searching for clarity.
With Spiral In A Straight Line, Touché Amoré haven’t just topped their own catalogue—they’ve created one of the most compelling punk albums in recent memory. The record is a raw, unfiltered exploration of disconnection, anxiety, and self-reflection, delivered with the relentless intensity that defines them. It’s chaotic, it’s cathartic, and it’s Touché Amoré at their absolute best.
Spiral In A Straight Line from Touché Amoré is out 11 November via Rise Records and available on all good streaming platforms.
