Tigerwine – Nothing is for You

By Ryan G

Tigerwine released a record that really has been suiting my mood these past few days. Like everyone else, I have cabin fever, and I’ve been sitting around thinking “I’m so tired of this f***ing virus!” You laugh at the asterisks, but I’m a goody two shoes, what can I say!

The sonic journey of this record is a metaphor for how I’ve been feeling. I want nothing more than to stand in a dark room with a bunch of my friends, blow out my eardrums, and headbang as vibrations from these riffs reverberate through my chest. The dark sludge vibes are alluring and cathartic, and I feel like sludge some days. Yet, there are bright moments peppered throughout the album—kind of like the weather lately. I was sitting on my porch the other night feeling pretty down, and I looked up and saw the prettiest sunset I’ve seen in quite awhile. Tigerwine knows how to layer in psych-rock influenced bright noodling sounds into the noise, massive riffs, and thunderous drums. I think over the course of past EPs and the Die With Your Tongue Out, release the band has learned that people need reprieve to truly apprecaite the darkness.

If I had any issues with this album, it’s that I feel like I’ve heard parts of it before (“Technicolor Yawn” in particular takes me back to those days in which I first discovered this band). But the parts I’ve heard before are what drew me to the band in the first place. Also, I would not suggest listening to this album extensively in periods of angst. The album closer “Complete,” in spite of being absolutely gorgeous, is so emotional in its swells that it will stick with you for a long time afterward. As I dwell on that lone, mournful coda, I don’t know if I feel hopeful or hopeless. I just kind of am sad for what is. If I had that live outlet, I’d probably be crying right now. Counterintuitively, the song “Word Hoard” functions as a sort of antidote for a song called “Complete” that comes after it. While hope isn’t a word I’d use to describe the mood, there is certainly an anticipatory element that will keep me returning to this in the future and annoy some people at traffic lights as I have the bass to this track cranked up in my car.

Once again, I would surmise that Tigerwine has released a dark horse album of the year. Why? They have most of the same elements that made me love Die With Your Tongue Out but introduce some indie-kid friendly moments that, if the world is just, should surely broaden their fanbase.

Favorite tracks: “Black Water,” “Word Hoard,” “Complete”

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