Touché Amoré - Is Survived By
Critic Score
Based on 15 reviews
2013 Ratings: #72 / 1115
User Score
Based on 226 ratings
2013 Rank: #101
Liked by 21 people
September 24, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Deathwish / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Alternative Press
While some bands might try to ignore the pressure that comes with a raised profile, Touche seem to have embraced it, producing their most frantic, panicked, passionate and best album of their career.
91
A.V. Club

Is Survived By is Touché Amoré feeling comfortable in its own skin, while remaining unafraid to shake off some of the dead flakes acquired over the years; and the group is all the better for it.

90
Exclaim!

On Is Survived By, they've outdone themselves.

85
Metal Injection

Is Survived By is an excellent album and the most accessible in Touché Amoré's catalog, though its song structure isn't as varied as previous albums.

80
Pitchfork

Within these songs is the struggle in realizing that self-esteem comes more from estimable acts than outside validation. Is Survived By should receive plenty praise anyway, but Touché Amoré lead by example.

80
musicOMH

Touché Amoré’s shift to the emotional and the subtle at times, without sacrificing the exhilarating annihilation that characterizes their music, renders Is Survived By dynamic and of higher quality than anything they’ve done before.

80
PopMatters
In every other respect, this album finds Touché Amoré at its strongest, emphasizing those qualities that have made it such a draw in the past and improving those ones that had been holding it back previously.
80
No Ripcord

Each moment on Is Survived By is a hotly tempered emotional assault that leaves no closet-bound skeleton unaccounted for an un-torched.

80
The Skinny
The lyrics are painfully honest and head straight for the gut, carrying the rare ability to resonate with people's lives in truly profound ways. There's a big, beating heart at the centre of the chaos.
80
The Needle Drop
West Coast screamo outfit Touché Amoré's third record is easily the most ambitious in their discography so far, featuring some incredibly dynamic and melodic punk guitars and lyrics that dive into the depths of mortality, legacy, and the band itself.
80
Kerrang!
Touche are still gonna pull at heartstrings, but now they'll suffocate and strangle you with them, too.
70
Drowned in Sound

Is Survived By is a bold and interrogative record - if admittedly, not an especially boundary-breaking one – full of both heart and head. 

70
AllMusic

Is Survived By features more of the Los Angeles hardcore outfit's furious, passionate, intensely personal sound.

70
DIY

Exploring further realms – both musically and lyrically – with familiar hands, heads and hearts, this is an album, and a band, ready to give survival a go.

70
Louder Than War

Touché Amoré have come on since previous effort Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me and developed into one of the Deathwish label’s most intriguing acts. Is Survived By is by no means ground-breaking, but it’s well worth a happy half hour of your day.

UltimateLifeFrm
85

Recommendation day 4 of 4: this is from @TherynsReviews

I'm becoming more of a fan of Post-Hardcore music at this point and I'm all for stuff like this, because Is Survived By is legit awesome.

I've not heard of Touché Amoré before the recommendation, but I can tell from listening to this album that they are a group who have stepped out of their comfort zone to deliver a tense, no holds barred project that's equally aggressive, passionate and emotional.

Instrumentation is ... read more

Dax_Wilder
98

The writing, the passion in the vocal performance, the instrumentals, the flow of this album, everything is just amazing and hits so hard. For real though the writing on this album might be the best part, shit is powerful, relatable, and nearly had me in tears on some moments. I get this style of hardcore or screamo isn't for everyone but if you like this kind of music go and listen to this album right now, it's only 29 minutes and you won't regret it. Praise/Love and Anyone/Anything may also ... read more

ST4T1C
90

Brief Review: Amazingly solid (and super brief) Post-Hardcore album. I do with it was a bit longer, and it does kinda have that small issue of every song sounding the same overtime. But man, this was def a solid collection of emo bangers. Worth a shot!

andrewwdavvid
80

First time listening in YEARS. This is by far Touche’s more personal and inward record. Sound-wise, it’s basically more of “PTSBBAM,” but lyrically it’s matured quite a bit.

Hayden7575
80

‘Is Survived By’ opens by questioning our purpose, dabbling in discussions on how fame and attention can be used to justify one’s existence. “Harbor” seems to find this reasoning in a relationship with someone else, but once that fails, he falls back on appearances during “Social Caterpillar.” However, the discomfort this brings proves the answer lies elsewhere, and the title track sees him realize that his legacy will live through this music, where he ... read more

ST4T1C
90

Brief Review: Amazingly solid (and super brief) Post-Hardcore album. I do with it was a bit longer, and it does kinda have that small issue of every song sounding the same overtime. But man, this was def a solid collection of emo bangers. Worth a shot!

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Added on: September 18, 2013