During the era of straightener-burnt hair and when Vans Warped Tour was the hottest music festival every summer, L.A.-based melodic post-hardcore group Touché Amoré came together. But they've come a long way from their origins in the musical era populated by loud and fast music and self-loathing lyrics. With each album Touché has matured with its members both musically and lyrically; but by far 2016's Stage Four is their most important work. The album follows vocalist Jeremy Bolm's contention with the loss of his mother due to cancer, and the guilt which came along with it. But rather than fall into the trap of depicting guilt as a means to garner sympathy, Bolm shows his struggle with and the reasons for, his guilt unabridged. He does not hold back to show his mistakes. And this honesty makes for a story of loss, shame, and guilt that can be felt by many who've grown up in the millennial era while simultaneously remaining truly personal.

Opening the album is the track "Flowers and You," which has the same tamed Touché style seen on 2013's Is Survived By. However, this song, which is an apology to his past mother, Bolm's ever emotional half-sing, half-screaming finds a new balanced resonance. Between the deeply personal chorus of Bolm apologizing directly to his mother, the verses show different images of the reality of coping with grief. The most notable scene comes from the conclusion of the song where Bolm shows the selfishness of growing up and trying to submit your individuality to the world.

Just a simple conversation about nothing much at all
Couldn't keep me in the room, I just kept walking down the hall
But now I understand just what a fool I'd been
No matter what the context, I won't have that time again
(and I live with that)

I took inventory of what I took for granted
And I ended up with more than I imagined
I've kept it bottled up and to myself in the cellar
Kept for my everchanging mental health.

And while this opening is in line with the sound one would come to expect from Touché, there are a few tracks which push boundaries into other genre's territories. The most noticeably different songs from this record include the shoegaze-y concluding track "Skyscraper" which features singer/songwriter Julien Baker, or "Benediction" where Bolm sings and screams back and forth to himself in a meta-depiction of the record as a whole. The emotionally screamed conclusion of this track summarizes the guilt, the loss, the questions of faith, all of the themes of the record all at once in a grim scene. If there was to be a preview for this album it would be:

You left a hole in this earth
And you paid for it up front
I had to fill it with dirt
While your friend sang the song
May the lord
Mighty God
Bless and keep you forever
Grant you peace
Perfect peace
Courage in every endeavor

The record is not without its more hopeful or positive tracks, however. The first single released ahead of the September 16 release date features Bolm grappling with the question "what was it that brought you west?" regarding his mother's move to California earlier in her life. And other various flashbacks of positive memories like the images from "Water Damage."

The aforementioned ability for Touché to be both personal and universal on this record is it's biggest sell though. And furthermore, in an era in which diseases such as cancer (in the case of Bolm's mother) or dementia (in the case of this author) affect nearly every family Touché Amoré provides the music and words for those feelings of regret, shame, and identity in the face of loss. Almost everyone has to contend with loss and the questions Stage Four raises but so often we are unable to be understood or explain them. And for anyone who feels a lack of closure surrounding their loss this album offers a good-bye to those we regret that we didn't spend enough time with, didn't appreciate enough, or just simply miss. All in all, among the deeply impactful images of disease seen on "Water Damage," or the tragic regret of "Eight Seconds," Bolm and the rest of Touché Amoré create a story which few writers or musicians are ever able to achieve. Stage Four is a necessary listen for anyone whose experienced loss in the millennial era. And it is honestly one of the most important records to hit shelves in recent years. The questions Stage Four asks listeners to grapple with alongside Bolm are ones which often can be difficult to put to words or to confront. But their contemplation is necessary in the unceasing movement to 'maturity' (whatever that means). But if screaming or fast paced punk rock music isn't your cup of tea, the lyrics can be found for free online and while some of the emotional delivery of the music will be lost, these poetic songs are worth at least one reading and contemplating over a patriotic coffee cup.