Emotional, sophisticated pop-punk
Labeling Tigers Jaw with a genre wouldn’t do them or their newest album, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, justice. Tigers Jaw repeatedly proves to their fans that they have their own style and use elements from multiple genres like indie, emo, rock and punk. If people would like to compare them, they fall somewhere between The 1975 and the gone-too-soon Modern Baseball. Even though the band has been around since 2005, which is a long time ago, apparently, their sound is fresh and modern, appealing to fans who are even younger than the band.
Back when the band was still in its original lineup, Tigers Jaw was Ben Walsh (who played almost every instrument in the band over the time, plus vocals), Brianna Collins (vocals, keyboard) and Adam McIlwee (Vocals, guitar). McIlwee later went on to start his solo project, Wicca Phase Eternal Spring. Wicca turned out to be a pretty successful emo-rap project, and he is often associated with the late Lil Peep.
With the current lineup: Walsh, Collins, Teddy Roberts (drums) and Collin Gorman (guitar, bass), the band shows their fans growth, intimacy and a lot of self-reflection.
The title track, “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me,” could very well be a The 1975 song. The acoustic beginning combined with the vocals makes for a very intimate feeling right from the start. The song features Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra. Overall, the song is one of the highlights on the album already. It captures the listener’s attention, so it’s a great start to the album.
“Cat’s Cradle” features some pop-punk elements mixed with indie-rock notes, which makes it a great tune to gently headbang to and let loose. “Hesitation” is a pop-punk song about the slow feeling of someone you love drifting away from you, according to Walsh in a press release. The song has a rather mellow tempo but features a lot of emotion in the lyrics and the vocals. A perfect song to feel the feelings and another highlight on the album.
Talking about highlights, “Can’t Wait Forever” definitely makes the list. What is a pop-punk song with no “voice inside your head” or “yead” if you Tom DeLonge? Released as a single, “Lemon Mouth” is another showcase for Tigers Jaw’s great emotional depth. The song feels personal and honest, building on the precious relationship the band builds with its audience.
I Won’t Care How You Remember Me provides for Tigers Jaw fans and newcomers alike. The album sounds punk while being sophisticated and emotionally valuable, proving that pop-punk and emo’s new age can be more. Even though Tigers Jaw is by no means a newcomer to the scene, they bring a fresh feeling to it, something that the genre desperately needs.
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