Tough Age ‎- Which Way Am I? (New Vinyl LP)

Tough Age continue to change shape on their fourth album, Which Way Am I? Drifting into unexplored territories of dreamy guitar workouts while expanding their instrumentation to include flute, synths, and organs, they hit fresh strides on this eleven-song set. Cultivating the collaborative approach of their last album, Shame, this album finds bassist / vocalist Penny Clark contributing lead vocals on three songs with music written by guitarist / vocalist Jarrett Evan Samson. Side one’s shorter run-times fight against the current with frenetic agitation, while side two’s meditative, melancholy songs welcome death’s sweet embrace. While they originated in Vancouver, Tough Age has since been based in Toronto since 2015 as a trio consisting of Samson, Clark, and drummer Jesse Locke (Simply Saucer, Chandra). Establishing themselves locally while touring across Canada, the U.S. and Japan, they have honed their approach to the point of psychic connection. Which Way Am I? was once again recorded with producer Peter Woodford at his Montreal studio the Bottle Garden (Homeshake, TOPS, Tess Roby) and mixed by Mint veteran Jay Arner. The influence of New Zealand and Australia is still evident, yet they also introduce new colours into their musical palette, from hooky Television Personalities punk, to the placid calm of Clark singing in a tone similar to Cate Le Bon. “Maybe the biggest musical inspiration over the last few albums has been The Feelies,” Samson says. “Not necessarily in terms of songwriting or feel but in how they evolved and changed during the course of their career. Tracing the move from the Ork single to, say, The Good Earth really showed me how you could soften and expand your music without changing the meaning or intent of your art. I’m not going to cover The Beatles though.” “The way they expand on the ‘Pink Frost’ form-concept will make any Kiwi fanatic fill a drool cup in appreciation.” —The Wire