Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory

Album Review

Feb 18

Rolo Tomassi

Where Myth Becomes Memory

In refining their sound, Rolo Tomassi loses what makes them great.

As I watched LA Confidential for the first time this week, I had an “a-ha” moment regarding Rolo Tomassi. Like in the movie, the band is an elusive and mythical presence.

They’ve done nothing but evolve and grow, flexing their collective musical chops and defining themselves into their own highly-specific and impressive post-rock meets mathcore space.

Pushing. Constantly pushing the boundaries of genre and time signatures.

Their previous album, Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It, is what I consider one of the most underrated albums in recent history. An article for another day, perhaps.

And so, here we are. Four years removed from their last complicatedly wonderful album - enter Where Myth Becomes Memory. A highly anticipated offering.

What creative chaos can we expect? What cathartic breakdowns, poetic lyrics, dynamic bursts, and heavy riffs are on tap?

What Myth ends up being is the most surprising thing of all:

Predictable.

Now let’s get a few things squared away off the bat.

First - no one here is expecting Rolo Tomassi to continue exploring deeper into complex time signatures and riffs for infinity. The law of diminishing returns applies to music too.

But where Time Will Die was at times playful, experimental, and unafraid, we lose that on Myth. The result is a safe feeling record.

Safe for your average quasi-talented band?

No.

Safe for Rolo Tomassi?

Undoubtedly.

If you’ve followed Rolo Tomassi’s incredibly deep discography, each album since 2008’s debut Hysterics builds upon the last. Each album pushes boundaries to a new level - you can hear the band searching for their most authentic, rawest identity, pursuing their level of potential over ten-plus years. On Myth, the ten songs come across as a plateau on the arc of their impressive catalog.

Now all of this to say that Where Myth Becomes Memory is a vivid, decadent, multi-layered album that takes several listens to absorb fully.

The band from Sheffield oozes talent across the board - they have so many tools in their toolkit to draw from, starting first and foremost with vocalist Eva Korman.

The opening track, “Almost Always,” mirrors the opening track from Time Will Die - slowly wading into the waters of the album with a shimmering and powerful ballad. Like many of Tomassi’s tracks, things don’t stay one way for long. Quickly the drums rumble in and set the table for the next 42 minutes.

Next, we’ve got our most ‘straightforward’ track on the album, “Cloaked,” a headbanging moshpit of a time and a great representation of the album as a whole.

It also showcases something rarely heard on a Tomassi track - a verse and chorus repeating. There is still an uncharacteristic restraint heard here - the hook, although not your typical rhythm, loops each time with no variation.

There is a general feeling of repetitive back and forth from ‘loud heavy riff’ to ‘slow and melodic part’ repeating throughout the album. It becomes a little unusually stale for a band so extraordinarily unpredictable.

Still, there are some real face-melting moments (looking at you “To Resist Something” and “Drip”) and some classic break your heart melodies like in “Closer.” A tip of the hat is in order to producer Lewis Johns for his ability to give such a rich sound room to breathe.

But Myth doesn’t ever feel like a cohesive unit, and it never becomes greater than the sum of its part. On the one hand, it’s aligned with past works in that you are completely engrossed in their unique universe when listening.

On the other hand, that universe becomes stale - there aren’t enough moments that stand out.

With Rolo Tomassi always demanding more from themselves, it will be fascinating to see what direction they go from here - Myth feels like a natural end to a creative path traveled so impressively far.

While Myth will stand out as a band continuing its distinct path, it is doomed by Rolo Tomassi’s own previously never-ending ascension of creativity. Ultimately, Myth disappoints not because of what exists on the album but what doesn’t.

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