Raw-hearted sensitivity from emotional California screamers

Touche Amore (Courtesy)

Touche Amore (Courtesy)

Hoping for the best while bracing for the worst is a recurring lyrical motif of Californian screamo quintet Touche Amore, who aim to reassure with hoarse throats and battered hearts.

Singer Jeremy Bolm treats his listeners like therapists, his candid, confessional lyrics reflective less of a need to share than a compulsion to do so.

“I made a pledge to myself / If I was to raise my voice / To be direct as I can be no matter what I may destroy,” he explains on “To Write Content” from the band’s latest record, “Is Survived By.”

The band’s sound is as to-the-point as Bolm’s words, with needling guitars, assertive bass lines and Bolm’s swollen larynx creating a sense of urgency that can feel overwhelming at times.

These dudes have a lot to get off their chests, but the question isn’t whether or not they can handle so much emotional bloodletting, but can you?

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow on Twitter @JasonBracelin.