Today, our recent guests, post-hardcore outfit BITTER BRANCHES shared their highly anticipated new album Your Neighbors Are Failures on Equal Vision Records. Vinyl and merch are available here. The album is also available as a limited edition red/white vinyl variant available for purchase through BrooklynVegan. Comprised of Tim Singer (Deadguy, Kiss It Goodbye, No Escape), guitarists Matt Ryan (Calvary) and Kevin Sommerville (Lighten Up!) along with drummer Jeff Tirabassi (Walleye) and the inimitable Dan Yemin (Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint It Black) on bass, the group continues to push the boundaries of their genre to give the listener something special – an exploration of the musical pedigree the groups legendary lineup has honed throughout years of touring and recording.
Throughout 10 caustic tracks, Your Neighbors Are Failures explores themes of societal anguish, emotional turmoil and a jaded sense of self with a cleverness and wit that speaks to the groups collective experience in music (and life). Focus tracks “Along Came A Bastard”, “Solo Trip” and “Plastic Tongues” highlighted the bands propensity for blending their hardcore roots with emo, post-hardcore and everything in between to create something entirely personal. Equal parts anguished and angry, each track on the album builds on a powerful crescendo of serpentine guitar riffs and shimmering percussion supported by a crushing groove that will satisfy the punk rockers and the emo kids alike. Nightmarish vocals that oscillate between emotive spoken word and something much harsher build on the sinister undertones of each song while communicating lyrics that are, ultimately, hopeful. You can stream Your Neighbors Are Failures here.
Vocalist Tim Singer has this to say about the new album: “The record really relies on a method that we all subscribe to — write the music you want to hear. So much music seems like it lands in clearly defined lanes and it’s often too comfortable or predictable or forgettable. We embrace the approach of really just trying to fuck things up in our own special way.”
You can stream Your Neighbors Are Failures here. The band has announced several dates in support of their new LP, performing with the likes of Verbal Assault, Punitive Damage and HIRS Collective. Limited edition vinyl variants will be available at each show. Itinerary is listed below.
Bitter Branches is Jeff Tirabassi (ex. Walleye), Dan Yemin (Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black), Matt Ryan (Calvary), Kevin Sommerville (Lighten Up!) and Tim Singer (Deadguy, Kiss It Goodbye,No Escape)
Upcoming Dates:
2/25/22 @ Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA w. HIRS Collective, Sunstroke
3/11 @ The Pie Shop – Washington, DC w. Saffron and Punitive Damage
3/12/22 @ Dusk – Providence, RI w. Bulletproof Backpack, Gordita Beach, Punitive Damage
3/13/22 @ St. Vitus – Brooklyn, NY w. Verbal Assault, Punitive Damage
While it would be easy to rely on storied musical resumes and just relive past glories, Philadelphia’s Bitter Branches have taken a decidedly opposite approach. Consisting of members of Deadguy, No Escape, Calvary, Walleye, The Curse, Lighten Up! and more, the band steps away from the sounds of the past to further explore the possibilities of punk and hardcore.
Their songs speak to the thoughtful frustration gained from years of experiencing firsthand exactly how the world does and oftentimes doesn’t work; and from seeing both peers and heroes fade slowly into comfortable obscurity. Rather than hopeful daydreams, Bitter Branches offers a refreshingly honest observation of society, with scrapes and scars on full display.
Musically, the band has little interest in conforming to the sound of the moment, instead building upon skills honed over years of touring and performing to create something that is unquestionably greater than the sum of the individual parts. Mix in a year of cancelled shows replaced with focused practice and writing, and you have a whole new album before you can say coronavirus. Your Neighbors Are Failures will take you on a rollercoaster of crushing lows and effervescent highs – delivering a tour de force of thunderous songs and more thrills than a summer blockbuster.
Bitter Branches is Jeff Tirabassi (ex. Walleye), Dan Yemin (Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black), Matt Ryan (Calvary), Kevin Sommerville (Lighten Up!) and Tim Singer (Deadguy, Kiss It Goodbye,No Escape)
