(Photo Credit - Rebecca Lader)
Advance Review - Tigers Jaw: I Won't Care How You Remember Me (March 5, 2021)
Tigers Jaw is back again on March 5th with their sixth album, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me. The band, currently made up of vocalists, Brianna Collins and Ben Walsh (Collins on keys and Walsh on guitar); bassist, Colin Gorman; and drummer, Teddy Roberts, has been putting out brooding emo classics with consistent sound since 2006--despite many changes to their roster over the years. The latest addition to their profoundly personal discography is the first album that involved every band member in the songwriting process. The result is a cohesive album that reflects the ways the band has grown as musicians over the years.
The title track, “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me”, kicks off the album with a twinkling acoustic guitar and earnest lyrics. It’s speaks to the importance of following your path and knowing that the same journey can look different to each person. The line “take time to go perfect whatever version of the truth suits you best” sounds accusatory on its own, but in the context of the song it’s clear that it is more so a statement of acceptance--accepting that we are all shaping our own narrative and we can’t change anyone else’s perception of things.
Contrasting with the serene acoustic guitar of “I Won’t Care How You Remember me” is “Can’t Wait Forever”. It’s a punchy unrequited love song about wishing you could be cherished and appreciated rather than used as a placeholder to kill someone’s loneliness. The lyric “I wasn’t sure of what I said, but it wasn’t the right thing” evokes familiar feelings of guilt and shame surrounding the end of a one-sided relationship. You’re left wondering what you could have done differently and how you could have convinced that person to love you the right way.
My favorite track off the album, “Commit”, has a similar theme to “Can’t Wait Forever” but the overall tone feels different. Both deal with failed relationships but where “Can’t Wait Forever” is from the perspective of a forlorn person dealing with heartbreak, “Commit” is sung by a scorned partner who is seeking contrition and compassion. Collins’ bright and dazzling vocals add to the self-assured vibe of this song--there is palpable hurt and distrust flowing through the lyrics, but not an ounce of self-doubt.
The final song on the album, “Anniversary”, encompasses the theme of the whole album: we, as humans, come together and forge connections through our suffering and hardships. Overall, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me is an ode to living your own life and a reminder that none of us is doing it on our own.
Rating - 4/5
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