At least at first.

Push past the point of the record wearing thin, and ‘Control My Sanity’ reveals itself as a record far more three dimensional than just cursory listens would have one believe. Opener ‘Ketamine Jesus’ is a blistering way to kick off proceedings; a toss between early Title Fight-esque punk rock and You Me at Six style emo, it establishes both the band and indeed the album’s aesthetic perfectly.

It’s an aesthetic that runs through the core of the album, veering between the emotional alt-rock of tracks such as the eponymous ‘Control My Sanity’ or ‘Hollow Tears’. It’s these tracks which feel the most generic, especially when compared to the likes of ‘Fail to Speak’, that bristle with an angsty energy that has more more in common with the likes of bands like Tigers Jaw or the aforementioned Title Fight.

Indeed, it’s these heavier, more angsty tracks that elevate ‘Control My Sanity’, and even then, it takes repeat listens before any sort of nuance begins to reveal itself. Largely, this is down to the band’s innate ability to veer between the confessional and the cathartic, and despite this one reviewer being overly long in the tooth and somewhat cynical, there’s an entire generation of fans that haven’t grown up on the likes of You Me At Six or The Wonder Years. As such, ‘Control My Sanity’ proves itself the perfect gateway record to an entire genre for the uninitiated.

Though there will be certainly naysayers that find far too much familiarity within its ten tracks, there’s a certain sense of catharsis around the record that makes it difficult to ignore. As such, there’s a lot to love within the record, but those who’ve been kicking around a while might want to look elsewhere if they want something to truly excite them.

DAVE BEECH

We can exclusively announce that Title Fight and Cold World will be playing an intimate show in Canterbury, Kent as part of their forthcoming UK tour. The Kingston, PA band will play the 250 capacity Marlow Studio on Tuesday May 5th, and will be joined by Cosmic Thoughts, Allfather, and Landspeed.

Tickets are on sale now exclusively via Hot Salvation Records, including some limited ticket and LP bundles.

Following the release of their most recent album ‘Hyperview’, this will be a rare chance to see the band in such a small venue, and will undoubtedly sell out so don’t waste time picking up tickets.

www.hotsalvation.com

Pennslyvanian Post-Hardcorers Title Fight have kindly uploaded an entire set for you to enjoy. All 10 tracks can be viewed over on the set Youtube Page. Full midset stage banter included.

“Our ability to choose our own path regardless of current or past status quos is a defining characteristic of Title Fight. We are humbled to be a part of the Anti- roster where we feel these qualities will be strengthened and supported.”

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The band will stop in Spain and Belgium only, and you can see details of the shows below.

MAY
09 BARCELONA Ateneu 9 Barris 11 ANTWERP Zappa w/ Not Afraid (record release), For Pete’s Sake, Survival, Headroom

Excited to announce that we are playing two exclusive shows in Europe in May 2014 – Barcelona and Antwerp. Both shows have a limited amount of tickets available, so make sure you get them in advance. These are the only shows we will be playing in Europe this Spring. Hope to see you there!

Pennsylvanian punks Title Fight have announced, via their facebook page, details of a new 4 song EP. ‘Spring Songs’ will be released November 12 courtesy of Revelation Records on glorious 7″ vinyl.

The EP’s 2nd track ‘Be A Toy’ is up for advance streaming right now at Spin, and it goes without saying that it is well worth a listen…

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Touché Amoré and Title Fight will be putting out a split 7″ this year for Record Store Day, which falls on April 20th. Los Angeles-based Touché Amoré cover Title Fight’s ‘Crescent-Shaped Depression’, while Title Fight cover Touché Amoré ‘s ‘Face Ghost’. There will only be 1000 of these released on red vinyl for Record Store Day. Sea Legs Records will also be releasing both songs digitally on Record Store Day. Keep your eyes out for an additional 4000 of the first pressing in different colours at a later date!

Unfortunately for reasons out of our control, Punktastic only manage to catch the final three songs from the early Into It. Over It set. The minimal crowd suggests that the “four bands in as many hours” line-up might be slightly ambitious for tonight’s venue. That said Evan Thomas Weiss appears impressively on form, playing stripped down acoustic versions of various tracks from his expanding back-catalogue. Weiss asks the growing crowd whether they were expecting a full band before explaining the solo nature of the creation of recent release ‘Proper’. The songs are clearly written to be enjoyed on an acoustic guitar in addition to a full band accompaniment, and the pitch perfect (disregarding one frustrating ‘voice breaking’ moment) vocals mesmerize those closest to the stage. A solo rendition of Stay Ahead of the Weather’s ‘No Sleep Till Humboldt’ sounds particularly unique in tonight’s setting.

After an impressively short changeover, Make Do and Mend take to the stage immediately powering into ‘Unknowingly Strong’. With only time for six tracks, the band focuses predominantly on offerings from their most recent release ‘Everything You Ever Loved’. Unfortunately the songs do not translate as well to a live environment as their previous album resulting in a somewhat monotonous atmosphere. The lack of movement by the band members onstage does not help to awaken the performance. For tracks that sound massive on record Make Do and Mend need to work on injecting the honesty into the live performance. The penultimate ‘St Anne’ does offer the crowd an opportunity to sing-along, yet the lacklustre nature of the performance has infected the motionless audience by this point.

The first of the co-headliners, Title Fight, arrive on stage to a typically disorganised mess. The vocals are non-existent for the first two songs as the sound crew desperately scramble with microphones in order to solve the problem. During this time the band continue blasting through ‘Safe in Your Skin’ and ‘Shed’ while seemingly the entire audience is jumping on and off the stage. Once the vocals are sorted the band move into grungier territory, taking cues from the early 90s with tracks such as ‘Secret Society’ and ‘Head in a Ceiling Fan’. The retrospective outlook of the new sound permeates through the older songs resulting in an unquestionable amateur feel to the performance. Vocals from both Russin and Rhoden feel strained at times; the latter in particular falling flat on a significant number of notes. The DIY nature supports the ethos of the band yet the craftsmanship remains slightly short of the mark to pull it off tonight.

It is clear that the co-headline element has been disregarded by a large proportion of the audience; tonight La Dispute are the undisputed headliners. The band eccentrically delivers a selection of tracks from ‘Wildlife’ and ‘Somewhere at the Bottom of the River between Vega and Altair’. There isn’t a moment where the band fall out of synch, playing in perfect harmony and allowing frontman Dreyer to lead the proceedings. The careful switch between old and new material works well with the audience – ‘Said the King to the River’ proves a particular favourite, as does the first ever live performance of ‘St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Blues’. Unsurprisingly it is fan favourite and set closer ‘King Park’ that allows the Garage to explode.

La Dispute clearly take the crown at tonight’s gig, and deservedly so. All band members appear elated throughout their set and feed off an impressive crowd reaction. Their ability to play in time and the unique vocal style of the frontman push the music into unchartered territory, with tonight seeing them at the top of their game. It proves an unsurpassed end to an otherwise disappointing affair.

BEN TIPPLE

The song is available to buy now through iTunes, and the video is available to stream at Stereogum. Check out the video at this link, or by using the player below. WARNING: It’s definitely a bit NSFW.

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“We are excited to formally announce that we have a new record coming out September 18, 2012 named “Floral Green”. The first song we are posting is “Head In The Ceiling Fan” and the video was done by our friend Evan Evans and us on a Hi8 camera. More information will be available in the upcoming weeks. Download the song for free on our website: http://title-fight.net/“

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