Strange as it is to say, Against The Current are like a pop-rock band from a different age. Taking eight years between full-lengths would be unthinkable among the current generation; the five since their last EP is bad enough. Then there’s the fact that they aren’t crowbarring themselves into ill-fitting positions for artificial hype. There’s always been some distance between Against The Current and the bulk of the pop-rock crowd, but it might currently be at its widest.
Not to knock them for that, either. They’re clearly doing what they want to, and with the multiple injections of League Of Legends-associated coin they’ve received over the years, they can afford to. If anything, it’s put Against The Current in a stronger position overall, where they’ve been allowed to grow from the prim, polished alt-pop of their early years. That polish hasn’t gone away, but folding it into darker, stormier modern alt-rock, or a new permutation of 2000s emo, is definitely better.
Don’t go into Till Death & Back expecting a myriad of pushed envelopes, mind. Previous patterns would suggest that that just isn’t Against The Current’s thing, nor is steering too far off the beaten path. That said, it is representative of something new for them, broadening out the more straightforwardly punchy pop-rock that made up 2021’s fever EP. That’s worth noting in itself, how a direct sonic follow-up after half a decade might seem underwhelming, maybe even a little stagnant. Directionally, Till Death & Back is the total opposite. It’s built from the ground up to be impressive and ear-catching; no more, no less.
For a band like Against The Current, that’s a fairly easy standard to work with. A storming hook has always been their bread and butter, even at their shakiest points, and the bigger canvas is all the better for it. The first proper banger is Heavenly, in which Chrissy Costanza’s voice towers amid the cyclone of guitars and rippling production touches. It’s the perfect example of what against the current can achieve as a capital-R rock band, and it’s not the only one. White Noise punches even higher and harder, and Protégé swings with a triumphant viciousness heretofore neglected in their catalogue. Even if Costanza herself won’t be hardcoring up anytime soon, the intent juts out and slices on this one.
Overall, for what Against The Current are looking to achieve, there’s barely a foot put wrong on Till Death & Back. It’s refined to a fault, to where there’s not all that much in the way of ‘wrong’ moves. Stuck probably comes closest—quicker and lighter, looking to evoke some of the band’s old pop sparkle, but also not cracking the heights of what’s around it. It’s fine on its own merits, though, because scale counts for the most on Till Death & Back, and Against The Current’s methodology for it is extremely forgiving. The elevated feel comes from everything being forced upwards, almost manually, like with the strings on Ashes To Glory and the sweeping, emotive tableau of The Moth.
Thus, it’s hard to prize must sophistication from Till Death & Back, but that’s far from the point. You’re meant to listen and feel it all crash over you, and on those terms, it’s a roaring success. The production helps a lot, pumping up the guitars and giving Against The Current the most muscle they’ve ever had. It does plenty for Will Ferri’s drums especially, anchoring the drama in the crashing force of Fortune Favors The Brave and Always You & I. It’s all awash in a downbeat colour palette, yet doesn’t become drained by it. There’s too much cresting power for it be dragged down like that, particularly from Costanza but true of practically everything.
What really ties Till Death & Back together nicely is the confidence with which it’s imbued. That can be a more evergreen asset than being able to keep up with the cutting edge (often so much so that you lack a core identity of you own). And now, with a more widescreen view of Against The Current’s career, it’s something they’ve tapped into so well. They carry themselves like the biggest band in the world, and it only seems right to let them have it; they wear it that well. And while that’s something they’ve dabbled with since the very start, it’s never been more convincing than on Till Death & Back.
For fans of: PVRIS, Tonight Alive, Yours Truly
‘Till Death & Back’ by Against The Current is released on 30th October.
Words by Luke Nuttall
