Release Date: March 5, 2021
Genre: Indie Rock, Emo
Label: Hopeless Records
The Scranton, Pennsylvania-based indie rock/emo band Tigers Jaw formed sixteen years ago. Over the years, Tigers Jaw has undergone numerous changes to their creative ways and seeing changes to their lineup over those years. Tigers Jaw is now formed of vocalist and guitarist Ben Walsh, vocalist and keyboardist Brianna Collins, bassist Colin Gorman, and drummer Teddy Roberts. The band returned to their roots by writing and recording their sixth studio album -and their first for Hopeless Records. Music producer Will Yip, a longtime friend, and collaborator of Tigers Jaw provided his duties to produce the entire effort once again.
In 2019 after a long, extraordinary stretch of touring, Tigers Jaw began work on their next album. During the writing, demoing, and recording processes of I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, the band returned to their roots by collaborating with all four members together in one room, a first for the lineup. On their previous album, spin, vocalists Walsh and Collins split the songwriting duties. Collaborating as a whole not only pushed the band as songwriters to write the best material they could possibly hope for, but it also strengthened their feelings about being in Tigers Jaw.
The album begins with the title track, “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me.” The title track has Walsh handling lead vocals and features the backing vocal duties performed by Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull. The song is mostly an acoustic number that’s incredibly heartfelt and emotional throughout. The song is about the importance of being straightforward and honest with the people in someone’s life. The second song on the album, “Cat’s Cradle,” is a fun synthy alt-rock track both written and sung by Collins. The song tells a story of a flamed-out friendship. No matter how much love, effort, and consideration you put into the relationship, sometimes it just isn’t enough to continue to make it work out in the long run. The track is a personal one for Collins. The tune is more about her thoughts and feelings from a friendship like this. She tends to suppress her feelings and be the one to apologize first.
“Hesitation,” the third single and track on the album, describes that sinking feeling of you starting to sense that the person you love is beginning to drift away. “Hesitation” might be one of the album’s most reworked songs. It saw almost half a dozen reworks by the band during demoing before the band settled on the final arrangement. It’s just showcasing their new willingness to try new things. The most recent single, “New Detroit,” a folk rock-infused track, was first conceived while Tigers Jaw was on tour in Australia. The song reflects on when Welsh’s home life was in a tough spot, and it took away from the entire experience of touring abroad in Australia.
On the album’s second single, “Lemon Mouth,” Collins gets incredibly personal and introspective. She explains feeling frustrated with herself, and on the search for a solution that doesn’t exist, but while discovering comfort and delight in familiar, quiet moments. I Won’t Care How You Remember Me closes out with “Anniversary,” a track about the band’s solidarity. The song serves as a memento of their professional unity, their love of performing music collectively, and the things that keep them learning and growing with one another.
The band’s sixth studio album, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, has them viewing it as a time capsule for everything they’ve been through over the past fifteen years as a band. The record tackles their growth as humans, self-reflection, and figuring out how to be in the present moment without being distracted by anyone’s opinions but their own. Additionally, with all the changes over the past fifteen years, Tigers Jaw remains writing and performing the music they want to make. Walsh, Collins, Gorman, and Roberts continue to propel each other to evolve further as songwriters and performers. Please stay in touch with Tigers Jaw by visiting their social media in the links provided below, and make sure to stream and purchase I Won’t Care How You Remember Me when it releases on March 5th through Hopeless Records.
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