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Toronto-based rock trio Tearjerker made their way to my ears just recently
with their third full-length release, Stay Wild. And while I can’t
testify to their previous works, I was surprised by how much this one sounded
like a band that’s still very much in the search of its own sound and identity.
Take the title, for instance. The album may be titled Stay Wild, but the hardest
track on it is the opening one (also titled “Stay Wild”), which amounts to
little more than a 1980s space-age club throwback (Seriously, what is with
the ‘80s now?).
This also emphasizes what feels like a disconnect between the musicians and
their own songs, as monotonous gasbags like “Stay Wild,” “It Takes Time,” and
“Perfect” are allowed to drone on for what feels like an eternity, while more
promising tracks like “Phone” and “The Gardiner” feel rushed and incomplete.
The trend continues into the instrumentals and vocals, as the trio never seems
to be able to find a good middle ground—opting either for too many sound
effects or not enough (although it is obvious that simpler is better)—as well
as waffling through genres ranging from ‘80s dance to garage rock. And while I
get the musical value of singing in unison with an instrument, doing it for
every verse and chorus for almost the entire album is flat out ridiculous—to
the point that it had me wondering if any of these guys could even approach a musical note without some sort of aid.
It’s sad, too, because there really are some good flashes here, the best of which
being “Obviously Wrong” (the song that got me listening to this album in the
first place). But the bad moments are high-schoolishly bad, begging the
question as to whether this is simply a band that’s still finding its way or a lucky
happenstance starting to get exposed. I’m hoping for the former.
