PREVIEW: TORCHE IN CHICAGO

Torche
When: Saturday and Sunday
Where: Subterranean (Saturday),
Wicker Park Fest (Sunday), Chicago, IL
With: Baroness, Earthride, Valkyre, Yakuza Arkestra, Local H, The Hood Internet, and many more

by Andrew Wilhelm (CHI)

Chicago hasn't been nice to Torche this year. While touring with Coheed and Cambria -- no, that in and of itself wasn't the bane of the band -- this spring, malicious thieves broke into Torche's van and cleaned them out. Passports, amps, guitars, laptops -- all gone. To say it put a damper on the band is putting it too lightly -- their livelihood was taken from them. Not long after the incident, a Paypal fund was set up to help the band replace lost gear.

"We ... purchased a lot of stuff like certain amps, cables, pedals, a bunch of stuff like that. Luckily, through the donations account, we were able to replace one guitar and one bass, which was awesome," said Jonathan Nunez, Torche's bass player.

Torche had to sit out the Detroit and Canadian dates of the Coheed tour as a result. Despite the setback, Torche haven't given up on the Windy City. Floor, the former band of vocalist and guitarist Steve Brooks, played a much-hyped shows for an enthusiastic crowd in June. And this weekend, Torche will play two nights in Chicago. On Saturday, they will be playing Subterranean with Baroness, and on Sunday, they will be playing the uber-hip Wicker Park Fest with loads of bands. While Torche is eager to play for their fans here, Nunez is a little apprehensive about returning.

"We have fun playing Chicago," he said. "We have a lot of friends there. But I'm definitely nervous,"

The band is embarking on a North America tour to drum up interest for their new EP, Songs for Singles. Despite being an EP, it is the band's official follow-up to their critically acclaimed Meanderthal. Singles was intended to be a full-length, but it didn't turn out that way for the band. The EP was recorded over "three to four band practices," according to Nunez, and some of the vocal tracks planned for a full-length were cut.

Most of the album is signature Torche: fast, to-the-point, catchy, stoner pop. People who dug "Rockit" and "Grenades" won't be able to resist.

"I ... like playing that energetic, upbeat vibe. (I like to) keep the energy going like the Ramones, song after song after song," Nunez said.

"Face The Wall," however, is quite a departure for the band. One of the longer songs on the record, "Wall" combines a shoegaze-like build with mournful vocals from Brooks. It almost seems like something expected from Alcest. In fact, that song, in conjunction with the title of the album, the fact that the EP was recorded without longtime band member Juan Montoya, who left the band in late 2008, all give Singles a slightly more somber feel than the rest of the band's catalog. Slightly. Nunez and I agree that most of the EP is still upbeat, catchy rockers.

Of course, that's not the first time Torche has deviated from their sound. Singles will also be the band's first release after their split with Boris, Chapter Ahead Being Fake. Their contribution to the split, "King Beef," sounds more like a lost track from Godflesh's Streetcleaner sessions than the happy-heavy combo Torche have cut their teeth on. Boris contacted them about doing the split and they were in no position to deny. If Boris wanted to do a split with you, you wouldn't either.

"We just wanted a heavy, machine-sounding" song, Nunez commented on "King Beef's intent.

Whatever their aim, Torche don't do anything by halves.

Songs for Singles will be released this September via Hydrahead Records.