AsterTracks 305: Pierce the Veil, unmissed connections and the growth of artists: You didn't like Misadventures either.
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The long awaited fifth entry in legendary post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil’s discography is finally here. Vic Fuentes and the boys always work hard and this time is no exception, doing their usual silence between cycles, sweeping away their former drummer who was founded on some pretty damning abuse and then returning with the wake of When We Were Young. Their last record; 2016’s Misadventures was not well received but has gained a bit of a following and remains one of my favorites by the band, if not the number one. And this record looks like it's on a similar path, in fact in spite of some issues, I think this may be the harshest listeners have been so far.
In spite of its reception, the first single off the record “Pass the Nirvana” was a perfect blend of the old and what was to come. The old being those low key verses, building tension until they scale up and explode into a chorus that is more or less the only breakdown off the album. Fuentes also continues to prove himself as the songwriter we all know he is with that build up, adding underlying synths to make everything ambient even amongst the chaos in the final seconds of the track. The new of course being the 90s alternative influence that can be found on the entire track listing. In this one in particular we find a song that would have fit right in, albeit a bit heavier, to the grunge scene thirty years ago. Lyrically I’m just as impressed. What he’s talking about is the divide of the scene itself; a place that is supposed to be a safe space for those who don’t feel safe somewhere else, yet we are constantly struggling to keep bigotry and misogyny out of it. Vic is right when he says that this is “only a distraction,” he’s talking about the music itself. This is a music scene but it was founded on challenging oppression. That and he even speaks on the song about losing sight of that himself!
I can’t shine to save my life but I’ll feel through the dark without you
I set fires ablaze inside and stepped into the light to blind you
If “Nirvana” was the safer single, “Emergency Contact” was the true demonstration of what The Jaws of Life actually was. This song is the definition of accessible, has an easy riff, some “do-doing” in the backing vocals and an isolated pre-chorus that leads to a grander rock and roll moment. Not that I’m calling this a bad thing but it’s a little dad rocky. Alas, Fuentes continues to hit us hard;
Therapy is tiring but so is hiding how you feel
To me the track as a whole is about a one-sided hold you can have on someone; you feel like you’re giving your everything but it isn’t truly working out because the underlying truth is that they don’t need you in the same way you need them.
The instrumental to the final single “Even When I’m Not with You” is something that hasn’t really been done in Pierce the Veil’s discography. In it Fuentes uses odd guitar tones and tunings alongside keys and what appears to be a drum machine to create something of a disjointed beat. I’m not sure how this would go off live, it’s an odd single choice and to be honest? While I’m into it I could see someone really disliking this one. What makes me a fan is mainly its unique qualities but also the vocal performances and lyrical composition overall. In the first verse each line starts and ends with the word “I” bringing forth various versions of the same perspective and making the verse catchy in its own weird way. Also the absolutely gutting poetry of Vic describing missing his wife when they’re apart and the song ending on that line takes me out of my own body.
What is love besides two souls trying to heal each other?
On every Pierce the Veil record there is so much riding on track one and while I don’t think “Death of an Executioner” is my favorite one, it is quite effective. In the first twenty-four seconds you get the sense that this is a fundamentally different record with this odd, horror movie inspired music box effect. The guitar work in the true opener isn’t very technical and neither is the solo section but overall? Between a heavy toned bass and the production? It’s still a Vic Fuentes classic.
“Flawless Execution” is a pretty simple one when you get down to it. Some cool production here and there and I do like the song’s ground workings. Fuentes also shows how hurt he really is on the writing side of this entire album;
Do you really crave a life?
I didn’t mean to burden you with love and my condition
We do, however, get a little throwback with the outro to the track that offers an interlude to the following song by using some of its instrumental themes. That track, the title track, is a Pierce the Veil classic. While there’s not really an edge to it “Jaws” is a true throwback to that first record, I mean just listen to that chorus. Outside of just one piece of the song overall the track’s intro has these distant angelic tones, it’s Vic’s signature move whether you recognize it or not. These lyrics hit hard, Fuentes is looking himself in the eye and instead of gauging how he’s doing in accordance with those he loves, he’s seeing himself for what he is and deciding if that's good or not.
I can’t decide, maybe it’s enough to get by for now
I’m having the time of my life
Rotting in the sun, we’re inside the jaws of life
I cannot decide if “Damn the Man, Save the Empire” is the most or least interesting instrumental on the whole project. It has this one riff and not much else but does make up for it with some cool use of sonic spacing, some synths and even a cowbell. It’s also sort of a feat that the bridge manages to hit like a breakdown despite being so quieted down. All of this leads to “Resilience.” These two songs are an odd sequencing to me and seem to be side by side solely for being the only two songs that open with little jokes. In “Empire” it’s a studio outtake but in “Resilience” it’s a Dazed and Confused sample, which goes into the cowboy-esque riff in a pretty effective way but I could definitely do without either cold open. A movie sample at the start of your song feels like a move that would have worked one or two records in during your MySpace days but at album five feels sort of amateur. Still, I do find myself enjoying the rhythm guitar choices, backing vocals and a percussion led second verse all backing some of the most painful sets of lyrics available. Wherein Vic talks about denying comfort from others trying to help him through a tough time on the principle that he’d rather try to handle it himself in spite of the pain.
“Shared Trauma” comes off like an extended interlude but I think it works out. The song’s sound is built on echoes, even more spacier tones and yet again Fuentes kicks the suffering up on the lyrical side. “Am I still your excuse to get high?” Is a question that can go either way, are you doing it to spend time with each other or to get over each other? That and the entire concept of the song, right in its title, being that shared trauma is something that’s such an easy entrance to someone’s life but the most difficult stay. That even in that while you want so badly for things to stay together you have to really work for them to function at all.
We share trauma but as we share trauma it takes it to break it
We share trauma and nothing’s ever gonna erase it
So face it
I again can see some of the negative criticism on this record in “So Far So Fake.” It’s very clear that this band wants to have breakdowns but simply does not have it in them and teases one out toward the end. That being said, the song itself is another work of art. The fact that, as a songwriter, Vic Fuentes doesn’t have that heaviness in him but he’s able to use that intensity to build to something that surprises you in a totally different way when it finally does hit? And the way he uses a scream, some heavier tones and all of that suspense? That’s what makes him stand out in the scene overall.
A chloe moriondo feature on “12 Fractures” is something that, I’m sorry, I have to break immersion for a moment to say “I told you so.” I have been reporting on this artist’s music since this blog’s inception, given her glowing reviews and generally begging everyone to give her a chance. She even referenced Pierce the Veil on her 2021 album and now here she is, jokes aside it makes me proud as a fan above all else. That and she absolutely earns her feature. She has this duality in the lyrics she delivers, going seamlessly with Fuentes’ sentiment but also, in a way, using this track as a sequel to her own track “Werewolf” off of that EP from last year. In that song she talks about sticking with someone in a town that made monsters of them both, but in this she’s talking about her and that person having to stay on separate sides of the same city they now reside in to avoid hurting each other.
To the actual song; if middle school slow dance closers are lame I do not, under any circumstance, want to be cool. I can envision the spotlight on this serenade. Lyrically this closes the themes of the record out so well. Sometimes, no matter what you try, that connection you tried to make work doesn’t work. It’s up to you to decide though; do you want to go back to being strangers or do you stick with each other in a shape that does? I know now, for a fact, that some people are too important to let go because a method of connection you tried didn’t quite pan out. That some people are too important to be strangers and you’d rather see them everyday in some other form and hold on for dear life if you can. Is the final leg of this song kind of cliche? Yes. Do Vic and chloe harmonize beautifully together? Absolutely. And that’s the best you can ask for.
Can I see why this record isn’t being well received? Yes, of course. It is slower, it is less grandiose, I’ve seen the argument that this is music for Target and, like, sure. But let me ask you this? Is it A Day to Remember’s You’re Welcome Target music or is it music that sounds a little manufactured but is still pretty good Target music? It’s a different approach to a different genre. The fact that Pierce the Veil can make that listenable is a testament to their ability. I’m sorry that you’re finding Collide with the Sky so hard to let go. As for me; I really miss the mariachi influence and while I feel it wasn’t really too present in Misadventures either I do feel like it’s what made them have that last little pop. It’s my least favorite of the five records and yet I don’t find it far off from the others. Both sonically and in terms of quality.
And seriously, hold your loved ones close for as long as you can. In that you can find a way to stay on the journey together, even if it’s not how you thought.
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