Events

[INDIE] A charmer is a person with an engaging personality—an attractive person who uses this trait to impress others. You could say that Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins of Tigers Jaw are charmers. They seem like delightful people when they’re on stage, belting out their emo-tinged rock songs with lyrics like “you left a permanent scar/memories are taped on our walls/as a reminder of how easy it can be when we’re growing apart,” and they even called their latest record, Charmer. They may not consider themselves charmers, but their fans certainly do—some even to an overwhelming degree. During a show in New York City last June, a fan rushed the stage and attempted to grab and kiss Collins. It was an unwelcome advance, and Collins responded to the incident the next day by reinforcing that it’s never okay to touch someone without their consent. It was an issue for the band, enough so that they released a statement about the incident, but not a major issue. A major issue might be something like three out of five members of your band leaving, which was the case for Tigers Jaw just before they began recording Charmer. They didn’t miss a beat, though, continuing on as a two piece before filling out the rest of the line up. Despite these obstacles that Tigers Jaw has faced over the last few years, Charmer comes off as an effortless indie-rock record that underlines the band’s maturity while respecting their pop-punk roots—Walsh occasionally sounds like Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba, while their less intrusive instrumentals take cues from early emo bands like Saves the Day or the Get Up Kids. Though these emo scars might be permanent, with Charmer the band has positioned themselves in the direction of an even more substantial future.