In a world where everything can often feel like it’s on fire, both figuratively and literally, we all have to find the thing(s) that give us the courage to push on. For Touché Amoré, the last 15 years as a band have been about adaptation while navigating life’s many curveballs. I sat down with the entire band to pick apart their new album Spiral In A Straight Line and find out what drives them as both solo musicians and as a collective.
Every member of the band has had a wave of ups and downs over the past four years since their last album, Lament, was released. Coming together to produce Spiral In A Straight Line was very grounding in a time of universal chaos. Throughout our talks, what I found the most profound is their confidence in one another and the way they approach this craft with genuine humility. These qualities give them the ability to shut out all the outside noise and create solace through music.
What about the process of making this album was different from those that came before it?
Jeremy Bolm: This record took almost an entire year to write, which is the longest a record has ever taken us. Not because we weren’t inspired, because we actually found ourselves more productive than we’ve ever been. We just had a lot of start and stops because of touring. A lot of us were also going through very big life changes, especially leading up to the record. I think that caused a lot of tension, but not tension in a way of inner conflict because we got along so well and really clicked in a way that represents the amount of time we’ve been a band.
Once we got in a room, it all came together. This time around, everybody was open minded and expressed excitement about what everybody brought to the table. We found ways to get through things in any way. We worked really hard on it. But again, it did take a long time. It always historically takes me forever to write lyrics. And this one was no different.
Stylistically, what themes are apparent throughout this album?
Tyler Kirby: Loss is a big one. Having one’s life uprooted by unexpected loss and then having to come to terms with it. The theme of loss is intertwined with themes of identity, I think. We all adapt and become comfortable with our things and situations, but when they inevitably dissolve—Who are we underneath them, ya know?
JB: There’s the whole idea that things are going out of control but feeling like you have to keep up appearances and keep a straight face as you move through the world because you have a lot on your shoulders. A part of me is fearful of someone being like, “Man, is this guy ever gonna fucking cheer up?” But I think as we grow and move through the world, there’s always new ways in which the world can bring you down or there’s new ways in which you can be moved by different things.
This record deals with a different kind of grief. Not one of losing someone, like passing away, but more so losing someone important in your life. That’s kind of where this one sits. So it’s different in that regard. You know, losing them in terms of life and the different paths we take.
Where do you draw inspiration from over the years, and does it get easier or harder? Having been in this business a long time, I imagine it may become difficult making sure you don’t recycle the same material over and over.
JB: I’ve told my band this before; if there’s a word that I write, I’ll go back and make sure that I haven’t used that specific word before, as dumb as that is. So I can be extremely hard on myself. Whereas, I’m sure nine and a half out of 10 people would never even clock if a rhyme or something like that was repeated. I always want things to be fresh.
Which songs were the hardest to piece together from the album and why?
Nick Steinhardt: I don’t know that any were difficult per se, but “Altitude” saw a lot of different permutations in the writing stage. Different tempos, vastly different feels were all tried out. It was also the first song brought to the table, so finding our footing after around four years away from any real writing sessions was bound to happen.
TK: We spent a lot of time working on “The Glue.” It started out as a couple of riffs Clayton had and then really transformed over time into something a lot different. Everyone in the band is pretty open to their own songs changing—as uncomfortable as that may be at times, but this openness is what allows for an unexpected marriage of ideas. Something freshly new is usually born there through compromise.
Clayton Stevens: Every song is a unique challenge. “Finalist” was one that underwent a lot of changes and doubts about it fitting on the album. Ultimately, I think it ended up as it was supposed to, and I’m glad it made it.
What are some standouts from the album that either had the biggest impact while making it or are the most meaningful?
JB: We have exciting guests on the record. Julian Baker came back for a third time, and she is, at this point, an honorary sixth member of the band and has been the MVP for the last three records now.
Lou Barlow, of Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr., helped create “Subversion,” and I don’t think anything will ever be cooler in the entire world how that all came together. There’s a song from Sebadoh called “Brand New Love,” and it’s one of my top 20 favorite songs. There’s a verse in “Subversion” where I realized that when the song gets really big and loud at the end, it has this pulsating sort of beat to it, and it hit me where I was like, Oh my god, you can literally sing “Brand New Love” over this outro. Instrumentally, they are completely different songs, but I brought it to my band, and I was like, guys, I don’t know shit about music, so you tell me if this is incorrect, but I hear that this works. So after talking to them about it, they said, yeah we think it works.
So when we went in to go record the record, I got really brazen one night where I got in touch with Lou Barlow, the singer of fucking Sabato. I wrote him as thoughtful an email as I possibly could and told him what I was going through, what inspired “Subversion” and how much I love his song and said, “I know this is the craziest ask, to ask you to sing your song over our song.”
But he wrote me back the next day and said, “This sounds fun, let’s do it.” So, when he sent in those vocal tracks, and I heard it the first time, I was completely taken aback by it. As corny as it sounds, music is fucking special, and I think it’s beautiful when these situations can happen.
Lastly, is there anything you want to add about the inspiration or creation of the album that you would want people to know about?
CS: I just want people to know that we put our all into the album. That includes Ross Robinson, who has been a gracious and deeply committed collaborator, as well as Steve Evetts and Alan Douches, who did an amazing job on the mix and master, respectively. I want to thank all of them for helping bring our vision to life.
NS: Stylistically and from a musical perspective, I feel like each record starts with a foundation of the strongest material from the last record and pushes forward from there. You learn a lot about the songs after writing and recording them. The live experience informs a lot for us.
On the visual side, we were inspired by film as a medium. While “Hal Ashby” in particular is a nod to a specific director, everything from the album cover to the typography was conceived in motion first. Pensive or intense moments were paused and given focus as still images.
JB: I’m a huge fan of references and opening up the possibility of discovery for people who listen to the band. There is a song called “Hal Ashby” which is a nod to the film director. These movies center around radically misunderstood people and that became a big representation of what that song ended up being.
What I’m getting at is, by naming a song “Hal Ashby,” I’m hoping we’ll make someone who’s maybe never heard those words before look that up and then try to figure out who that person is. I think if there are people out there who read the lyrics, I hope that they find the things to chew on and just take some new paths in their life to discover new things that are exciting.
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