If I’m being honest I wish most punk bands out there would completely alienate their fan base dropping their attitudes to become passive shoegazers. Though I never expected it would actually happen to Pennsylvania punks Title Fight I’m glad they’ve done it.
Their last release 2013’s Spring Songs demonstrated how vocalist Ned Russin was beginning to shout less but it didn’t really prepare fans of the band’s hardcore-influenced melodic punk to become completely different after the band signed to Anti.
For their third full-length Title Fight have done just what I hoped they’d do: sound like a band that Alan McGee may have signed to Creation in 1991. Save the punk-ish “Rose of Sharon” Russin’s scream is now a softened hum that moderately floats alongside the overdriven and whammy bar-abused guitars of Swervedriver and Smile-era Ride.
And if that wasn’t extreme enough they even flirt with — ever so briefly — the blithe ambient-leaning sounds of Slowdive on “Your Pain is Mine.”
Though Hyperview isn’t quite as radical as when Against Me! signed to Sire and went arena rock devoted fans unwilling to accept this evolution will feel just as betrayed. The irony is as shoegazers Title Fight now sound less commercial than ever. In my humble opinion they also sound better than ever.
