TORCHE - Songs For Singles (Hydra Head)

Torche's new eight song ep "Songs for Singles" carries with it a cover sticker with a quote from drummer Rick Smith, reading "It’s a bunch of radio rock bullshit." Smith's characterization, while meant as a joke, is a fairly accurate descriptor of the band's approach on the aptly titled "Singles." Legend has it that when the band set out to write their follow up to 2008's all killer, no filler "Meanderthal" they came up with an overloaded bunch of songs that they didn't quite know what to do with just yet. Rather than force an album, they stripped some of the tracks down and decided to work within the confines of an ep. The band's decision to scale back format, and thus expectations, was probably a wise choice, as "Singles" is an enjoyable if, at times, minor record.

Clocking it at just under twenty-two minutes, the ep is an onslaught of short, tight and fast tracks. Given the ep's limited breadth, the band focuses almost exclusively on their pop-metal side, rather than offering up the type of massive diverse statement of intent that "Meanderthal" was. The band burns straight through the first six tracks without pause, but even playing with a get in and get out approach, they still manage to make a hell of an impression. These may be quick and simple pop tracks at heart, but Torche plays them with all the power and heaviness of the sludge gods they have become.

The real payoff comes with "Singles" second half. "Face the Wall" and "Out Again," which time-wise account for nearly half of the total ep, finds the band slowing things down, pulling more serious faces and annihilating everything in their path. "Face the Wall" is a crushing atmospheric track reminiscent of Jesu that features neo-shoegaze guitar and plodding doom-laden drums. It's a thoughtful and welcome change of pace after the sudden rush of blood that was the ep's first half. "Out Again," returns to an upbeat pop format, but the track tones down the heavy and breaths a bit more than Torche's other slabs of pop-metal here. The track even has a bit of a groove that you kind of get lost in as it plays out. It's a nice change of pace proving that the band can rock hard even when they turn down both volume and speed.

In the end, "Singles" works as both a stop-gap between albums, as well as a worthy work in it's own right. It's certainly not a proper follow up to "Meanderthal," but it's not supposed to be. If you adjust your expectations though, these twenty-one minutes and some change will rock you nevertheless. It's fun, fast and furious, and easy to hit the repeat on. Just understand that minus "Face the Wall," this is mostly a simple snack in between (hopefully) two much more substantial meals of sludge metal greatness.

"Face the Wall" live


"Cast Into Unknown"


"Out Again"