Waiting Here

When Tough Age started out in 2012, the Vancouver, B.C.-based band was a combustible mixture of impatient garage punk and scrappy surf influences. More than a decade in, Tough Age havent so much mellowed on their fifth full-length, Waiting Here, as theyve refined those early energetic outbursts into a form of expression that doesnt have to shout to get its point across. The groups infatuation with New Zealand pop that began a few albums back is still going strong, apparent immediately in both the rumbling feedback and gliding melodies of succinct intro track "In a Garden" and showing up later on in the form of Bats-esque melancholia on "Scattered" or glimpses of the Cleans noisy exuberance on the roughly recorded title track. The band is well aware of their flowchart of influences, even winkingly quoting Belle & Sebastian lyrics in one song and sneaking a line about a Young Marble Giants tune playing softly in the background into "Paradise by Another Name," an especially nervy standout sung by bassist Lauren Smith. Though stitched together from reference points both overt and subtle, Waiting Here becomes much more than a collage of nods to obscure indie rockers. Tough Ages brand of cheery jangle filters all of these inspirations through songwriting thats honest and contemplative without being so heavy that it dulls the razor sharpness of the songs themselves. The music always feels curious and fresh, even when the lyrics are reflecting on less-than-happy feelings or struggling with sharp disappointment as on the tightly coiled punk blaster "Give It a Day." The kind of well-read indie punk sound Tough Age excels at often gives in to a curmudgeonly world weariness, but the band chooses enthusiasm and positivity at every turn of Waiting Here. The ideas and feelings presented here arent always chipper, but the band creates a sound thats refreshing and bright even when exploring lifes more complex corners. ~ Fred Thomas