Counterparts: Tragedy Will Find Us


Of all the melodic hardcore bands to come about in recent years, and that genre has had a massive resurgence, Counterparts have always stood out, and would be my personal favourite. Sitting in the same metalcore/melodic hardcore crossover zone as The Ghost Inside and Stick To Your Guns, Counterparts are notable for their emotionally devastating lyrics and a unique sound, technical without being obtrusive, raw but still packing a punch, harking back to bands like Misery Signals and Poison The Well. Their latest album, Tragedy Will Find Us, was released back in July on Pure Noise Records. So what to make of it?
In many ways this album could have been hamstrung by expectation. Their previous album, The Difference Between Hell And Home had broke a lot of new ground for the band and stands as one of the most powerful albums to come out of hardcore. Tragedy manages to avoid this spectacularly, being this band's best album to date. All the elements that made Counterparts great have been carried over and improved upon, making for an overall tighter, focussed result.  The song writing and lyrics have taken a massive step up, the tendency for tracks to blur together somewhat isn't present here. Much of the rampant technicality has been reined in slightly, however there are still enough twists and turns to be more than satisfactory. Tragedy's outro features some twisty leadwork while Collapse has some of the best time signature changes Counterparts have ever written. The breakdowns are more strategically used than ever, with Choke providing a simple yet extremely violent one. Sonically Collapse is the standout track here, with some of the melodies and overall structure harking back slightly to Debris off the previous album. A reflective yet utterly bruising number clocking in at just three minutes, it says all it needs to in that span of time. A wonderful example of how potent Counterparts can be
Where this album succeeds most for me is the bleak melodies woven into the furious music, providing a very sombre tone to the album. It lends a feeling of bleakness and desperation to the likes of Stranger, Drown and Solace. Even tracks that seem a tad more upbeat like Tragedy still have melancholy running deep in their veins. The sadness is carried over into the lyrics. The whole album examines the death of a relationship, with a number of aspects being examined. Breandan's lyrics have gotten more eloquent yet not losing any of the heart that have made them so compelling. Collapse provides the best example, with "I would love to love you, if you were someone else, am I fit to walk alone again or will you save me from myself", capturing the unhealthy nature of a co-dependant relationship quite well. This attention to detail is what pushes this band above all the other ones out there plying melodic hardcore in the wake of Touché Amore and La Dispute.
So is this album worth your time? Well if you've been reading all the gushing here, the answer would seem to be a strong yes. Whether you're a fan of Counterparts, of hardcore in general or just enjoy intense music, this is one album you need to listen to. Right now. Go for it. It's a massive step up from The Difference Between Hell And Home, a tight focussed burst of pure emotion.
10/10 (no I don't make a habit of awarding these)
Standout Tracks: whole album but special nods to Collapse, Solace and Tragedy
For Fans Of: Hundredth, The Ghost Inside, Architects, feelings.

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