Review
Touche Amore
Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me

Deathwish Inc. (2011) Adam Houtekamer

Touche Amore – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me cover artwork
Touche Amore – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me — Deathwish Inc., 2011

Touche Amore have made a name for themselves in the hardcore scene with the release of their past record To The Beat Of A Dead Horse and a slough of 7inches and splits. While some Internet drama has led to a backlash against the band, this new full length Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me can be held as a pinnacle in the post hardcore genre with a beautiful combination of passionate lyrics, gritty riffs and powerful interludes, all of which comes together to be one of the best releases of 2011.

The thirteen songs on the record come to just over twenty minutes and they flow between one another seamlessly making a listen from begging to end painless. The reoccurring idea of the record is one of coming to terms with problems in your life, understanding them and working towards making them better. Jeremy Bolm’s lyrics, while not very straightforward, are both smart and memorable full of lines that stick with you and make you think. The listener will always believe where the words come from and the pain behind them, something that is very hard to do. The album is by no means heavy, leaning farther towards strong melodies and this will turn people away from the band, however this does not prevent the music from getting hectic with at times busy complex percussion that help keep the pace up and the listener interested.

The record is excellent as a whole and stand out tracks are hard to pin. “~ (Tilde)” is one of the best opening songs on a record I have ever heard starting off peaceful and easing into a strong energy that is seen throughout the record. “Amends” the closing track is both short and sweet leading the record out with immense power. The thirteen tracks are overall consistent and it’s the catchy one-liners and strong melodies that will keep the listener coming back.

The melodic post hardcore genre has seen resurgence as of late with other bands like Defeater, La Dispute and Pianos Become the Teeth getting hype. Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me is a record that sets the standard for the genre. I don’t need to tell you to go listen to it because someone else probably already has.

See also

toucheamore.com

Touche Amore – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me cover artwork
Touche Amore – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me — Deathwish Inc., 2011

Related features

Touche Amore

Interviews • June 19, 2012

Related news

Touché Amoré sign to new label

Posted in Records on July 25, 2024

New Bloom Fest 2024 across Australia

Posted in Tours on November 6, 2023

Touché Amoré Is Revived By...

Posted in Records on October 1, 2023

Recently-posted album reviews

Sexfaces

Bad Vibes OST
Slovenly (2025)

Best thing about writing reviews is finding out about new stuff that I otherwise might not have heard. Also writing reviews for bands that aren’t friends of mine is pretty cool but when I hear a band I really like, like Sex Faces, it makes me want to be friends with them, I can't help it! I’m not even halfway … Read more

Unseemlier

I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere
Sell The Heart Records (2025)

What does Unseemlier sound like? I've been mulling that question as I listen to I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere for a while now. As I listen to more and more Sell The Heart releases, The band is from Boston, but seemingly influenced by late '80s DC. It's heavy, but more with hardcore-like vocals shouted over moving, building guitars and … Read more

Personality Cult

Dilated
Dirtnap (2025)

I had a hard time starting this review. I can’t help coming back to the fact that it sounds like Marked Men. It does, maybe intentionally so, as Dilated is the second of Personality Cult’s albums that is produced by Jeff Burke of Marked Men and Radioactivity. But I don’t necessarily like to say a band sounds like another band … Read more