Title Fight is a band we’ve learned to consistently expect more from. I hope that makes sense, because it’s certainly a good thing. Hailing from Kingston, PA, this traditional punk rock outfit started playing fast, four-chord songs and playing them hard circa-2003. This material can be found throughout their first compilation album, The Last Thing You Forget.
Subsequently, these songs evolved as the band brought in more Hot Water Music and alt-rock influence for their debut full-length, Shed. Shed caught critics off guard and was generally applauded for being a refreshing 22 minutes of emotional delivery.
This all seemed to culminate with the band’s 2012 release, Floral Green– a devastating journey that tackled topics such as life on the road, depression, and death. Not only is the album a lyrical monster, but it’s instrumentation evolved yet again to incorporate walls of shoegazey distortion, a sea of guitar pedals, and Hum-like space rock influence.
And then fans waited. Perhaps it felt longer than it actually was, but in our defense, Title Fight had come off of a creative high, and we begged to know where the band would go next. After several cryptic clips on the band’s website, word spread that the band’s new album, Hyperview, would be released February 3rd, 2015. And that leads us to “Chlorine.”
If “Chlorine” is any indication, Title Fight are not as angry as they used to be. In fact, the song’s guitars sound almost upbeat, connected by a single, distorted note, leaving the listener wondering if this might be Title Fight’s catchiest song yet. This being said, “Chlorine” feels like the most natural progression for the band; where Floral Green dipped “Head in the Ceiling Fan” in post-rock and shoegaze tendencies, “Chlorine” dares to immerse itself.
And the results are highly successful. Even with the vocals so low in the mix, they fit the song’s new direction perfectly. If fans have any complaints, they surround this production decision (courtesy of scene-celebrity Will Yip) and how it’s left the lyrics nearly indecipherable and unavailable online.
But doesn’t that only add to the mystique that’s surrounded Hyperview and the Title Fight camp for the past two years? Getting a taste of “Chlorine,” fans are seemingly left with even more questions than before, and the answers are as garbled as the song’s introduction. I suppose we’re just happy to have Title Fight back, and until February 3rd, it looks like we’ll have to let “Chlorine”- and its accompanying, waterlogged video- tie us over in waves.