Two Tongues Two album review

Written by: August Aguilar, October 14, 2016, at 6:38 p.m. 

Back in August, I wrote about the news of the alternative band Two Tongues releasing their first single “Azalea” along with their release date of a new album and plans for a first ever fall tour. Finally, the day has come for the new album Two Tongues Two available to purchase and stream online and it freaking rocks.

With a seven year gap between the release of their first self-titled album and their newest record, fans have been eager to get new music from the devilish duo of Max Bemis and Chris Conley. The two front men of the band welcome us back with open arms with stylish guitar riffs, loud drum fillers, and most importantly, the ever-changing blend of emotional lyrics of a loud and angry Bemis and a soft and melodic Conley.

Like their previous record, both singers alternate on tracks between choruses, verses, and bridges in each song. As each track unfolds, you may notice that some songs seem to tell a story or range of emotions, and both singers bring a side of the story to each song. The track “We Can Work” gives a nostalgic feel of love and a yawning for someone, but it could only be told through the powerful tones of Bemis and Conley together.

Two Tongues has always had a great range of song choices though. Some well crafted for an intimate mood like “U.S.,” and others going back to their roots of a fast clean sweep of grunge and punk rock like “Veuve Clicquot.” What I’ve always loved about the musical styles of Bemis and Conley together is that they are not afraid to try new musical sounds.

Even with their own bands, Say Anything and Saves The Day, they tend to experiment with different genres for the record. “Bateman” does a good job with this, with almost like a orchestral chorus group echoing the lyrics behind Bemis. However though, I think that “Azalea” still holds strong as their best hit off the album, showing us the true power of Bemis and Conley lyrically together as well as the band as a whole sounding great.

The biggest disappointment for this album release though is the fact that Two Tongues had to cancel their tour that they had announced. A couple of weeks after this release, the band were supposed to go on their first ever tour as Two Tongues, and even featuring songs from Say Anything and Saves The Day.

On October 10, however, the band posted on Facebook and other social media sites that due to “unfortunate circumstances” the band could no longer go on tour this fall. The heart breaking news came with a promise of a tour eventually as well as some other surprises they had cooking up, but that is still to be determined when and what that will be.

Overall, Two Tongues has given us another great record to add to our collection. I wish the wait didn’t have to be so long for another album, but I’ll gladly take it. If you are a fan of Say Anything or Saves The Day, check out this band and their previous album to get a taste of what they are all about. You can find Two Tongues Two on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and other streaming services for your listening pleasure or to purchase.