Source: Album Artwork
Punk rock pioneers T. S. O. L., short for True Sounds of Liberty, are back with a new label and their 11th studio album. The Trigger Complex is the band’s first release with Rise Records, unleashed nearly four decades after their critically acclaimed debut Dance With Me.
Time hasn’t changed much. T. S. O. L. are still belting out the unique brand of politically fuelled punk rock that flung them to stratospheric heights in the 80s. This year’s reunion saw the return of original T. S. O. L. members Ron Emory, Mike Roche and Jack Grisham.
“It’s a great time to be making music; to have a voice that can be heard,” Grisham says when speaking of The Trigger Complex, “I’m glad that things look bleak. Political turmoil breeds strength as well as strife. This record allows us to remind people that they aren’t alone. We’re here.”
This is a voice we hear time and time again in the album, predominantly during tracks ‘Nothing Ever Lasts’ and’The Right Side’. The latter condemns ignorance in its lyrics: “We’ve got the small minds, dying on the outside.” This theme, combined with punchy riffs, name drops, and an overwhelmingly retro vibe, must be charming for fans of the past.
The rest of the album follows suit with brooding, high-energy tracks laden with gothic flair. ‘Satellites’ and ‘Don’t You Want Me’ are the best of the bunch, evolving T. S. O. L.’s classic punk rock into something unique and still innovative. Their music, while remaining true to the sound they coined in the past, has grown with artistic flourishes and new techniques.
The Trigger Complex calms from high-octane anthems to a much more lethargic, experimental sound towards the end. ‘Don’t You Want Me’ is a theatrical, piano-led ballad with elements of jazz underlying in its tone and instrumentation. Instrumental closer ‘Bats’ is equally as dramatic, tying the album together beautifully in a way unusual for a punk rock band.
T. S. O. L. is still going strong after nearly four decades in the business. The Trigger Complex is pure, nostalgic rock ’n’ roll torn straight from the 80s, with a few inventive twists thrown in to keep interests peaked.
