“Dude, it’s just a rock band.”
- Steve Brooks, Torche
All due respect to Doctor Brooks, but if Torche were JUST a rock band, Daddy would be at the bar right now knocking back a couple of stiff ones instead of typing up all these words you’re about to ignore.
The thing with Torche is that when you put one of their records on, it’s like you just swallowed a magical happy pill that also plays killer riffs and sings super-triumphant feel-good jams about... well, our man won’t actually tell us that. “The lyrics are stream-of-consciousness,” Brooks says. “It’s like you’re in a dream and nothing makes sense. That’s why I don’t print the lyrics, actually. I don’t want anyone overanalyzing every little stupid thing I say.”
Fair enough. But what about the music? The music is like one of those SSRI deals without the crappy robot feeling or even crappier erectile dysfunction. It’s like sunshine and blue skies and fluffy clouds and mountaintop glory. We’ll spare you the various genre tags the band has been saddled with over the years and just say this: When you’re listening to Torche, everything takes on the rosy hue of unlimited success.
On with the back-story (i.e. shit you should already know) and prelude to current events:
Birthed whole in 2004 like some kind of Dade County wildebeest, Torche is Steve Brooks on guitar & vocals, Rick Smith on drums, and Jonathan Nuñez on bass. Their 2005 self-titled debut and six-song follow-up, In Return, were released by everyone’s pals at Robotic Empire. Then shit started to blow up like Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Or at least like Dolph Lundgren in that one flick where he beats on those dudes with no mercy.
But we say it with a dead-earnest straight face when we say that the band’s 2008 full-length, Meanderthal, was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou - AND when we tell you that we were not the least bit surprised when it was named “Album Of The Year” by Decibel magazine. In fact, we called that shit in advance. Meanwhile, the astute folks at Paste described it as, “Pummeling, earth-shattering noise married to gorgeous melodies. It’s the golden egg so many underground acts have searched for, but only a handful have had the chops to pull off.” A-fucking-men to that.
Similarly, no one was particularly shocked when Torche were voted “Sexiest Band Alive” by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in 2009. They also went on tour with living legends Harvey Milk that year, which was awesome unless you slept through it. Or they didn’t hit your town or whatever. And Torche’s high-profile festival appearances were the delicious outdoorsy icing on the accolade-filled layer cake: All Tomorrow’s Parties, Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, L.A.’s Fuck Yeah Fest, etc.
But let’s talk about the here and now: Torche’s new EP is called Songs For Singles. Hydra Head honcho Juan Perez came up with the title - and you know that fucker is psyched to see his name here. But we have to admit his idea was a hot one: It’s like songs for the charts AND songs for those of us who are out trolling for some strange. And, okay, everyone else. Torche is nothing if not all-inclusive. Recorded and mixed by bassist Jonathan Nuñez at his own La Casa Nuñez studio, this self-produced eight-song banger includes some of the band’s shortest (“Lay Low” clocks in at a whole 53 seconds, which just leaves you wanting more) and longest jams (closer “Out Again” tops six minutes, and is a riveting example of Smith’s ultra-modern, Adderall-enhanced percussion technique). Fast on the heels of Torche’s sold-out split 10-inch with Japanese megastars Boris, Songs For Singles is yet another soaring, riff-roaring crowd-pleaser destined for those year-end “Best Of” lists that everybody loves so much. How do we know? Because we’re never wrong. And the shit is just that good.
Bottom line, though? Dude. Torche is back. Get psyched.
* Torche will release the first song from Songs For Singles, entitled "U.F.O.," on August 24th via iTunes. Pre-order Songs For Singles NOW at BlueCollarDistro.com!
Songs For Singles Track List
1. U.F.O.
2. Lay Low
3. Hideaway
4. Arrowhead
5. Shine On My Old Ways
6. Cast Into Unknown
7. Face The Wall
8. Out Again
Torche Live!
9/22 New Orleans, LA @ The Big Top Three Ring Circus
9/23 Dallas, TX @ The Nightmare
9/24 Austin, TX @ Red 7
9/26 Scottsdale, AZ @ Martini Ranch
9/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater w/ Mountains of Blow
w/ High on Fire and Kylesa
9/29 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
9/30 Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
10/1 Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre
10/2 Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad
10/3 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
10/5 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
10/6 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
10/8 Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Company
10/9 Urbana, IL @ Canopy Club
10/10 Chicago, IL @ Metro (Riot Festival)
10/11 Bloomington, IN @ Bluebird
10/13 Newport, KY @ Historic Southgate House
10/14 Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
10/15 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
10/16 Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
10/17 Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
10/19 Halifax, NS @ The Paragon Theatre (Halifax Pop Explosion)
10/21 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
10/22 Providence, RI @ Club Hell
10/23 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
10/24 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
10/26 Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
10/27 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
10/29 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds (FEST 9)
For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/torche
www.hydrahead.com
