The vocalist shares how ‘Lament’ documented his life since the band’s highly personal ‘Stage 4’ album and how working with Robinson in the studio was a truly unique emotional experience.
Adding to the ongoing discussions of Mosh Talks’ of Album of the Year candidates, Jeremy Bolm of Touche Amore checked in for a chat regarding the band’s magnificent studio effort, Lament.
Bolm’s discussed how the band’s previous record in Stage 4 offered a unique creative segue into the writing of their most recent album. Working through the passing of his mother from cancer on their fourth album, Lament, at least in part, draws inspiration from some of the interactions and experiences that Bolm has shared with fans in the wake of such a personal connection through the tragic loss of his mother.
Unintentionally becoming a sort of spokesperson for people traversing through live amid loss and tragedy, Bolm says its a role that he still isn’t sure he is prepared for but nonetheless he understands why people are so eager to share some of their emotional weight.
Describing their fifth album as the companion piece to Stage 4, Bolm shares that the cohesive theme to Lament, if any, is simply in chronicling what life has been like since the that transformative time and how his ability to share his experience has resonated so profoundly with fans of Touche Amore.
Bolm also discussed what it was like working with producer Ross Robinson for their fifth time out. Confiding that Robinson was always on his shortlist of producers to work with, the frontman shared that his work on albums with bands like Glassjaw, At The Drive-In, and Blood Brothers were especially important and influential. Bolm would go onto explain that his connection to Robinson would date back to 1994 when Bolm first saw the video for “Blind” from Korn officially transformed the vocalist from a grunge fan to metalhead.
Rattling off albums from Slipknot, Sepultura, Korn, and The Cue all in addition to the albums previously mentioned from more melodically-driven hardcore bands, Robinson’s resume permeated throughout Bolm’s creative foundation. It seemed almost destined that Bolm and Robinson would work together.
Bolm would also go onto explain some of the magic that took place in the studio in working with Ross as well. One of the stories in particular involved a special microphone that has been with Ross for many of the albums he has produced. The story goes that the microphone used to belong to Nick Cave and then become a part of Indigo Ranch Studios. Eventually Robinson would acquire it and everyone from Robert Smith to Leonard Cohen has recorded using that specific microphone. Citing Cohen as his end all be all inspiration, Bolm said being able to sing into the same microphone that Leonard Cohen did was especially memorable for him.
As for the lore associated with one of music’s most intense producers, Bolm says that working with Robinson forced him out of his comfort zone and functioned like therapy. Robison would make Bolm read all of his lyrics outlaid and explain what each line meant, no doubt an emotionally exhausting experience for a band that regularly lays it all on the line.
Bolm would also share that Robinson’s focus was second to none. He explained that Robinson never texted, he was never on his phone or distracted while they were at work. That kind dedication combined with his meticulous approach result in a record that was truly a unique experience for Bolm.
Watch the complete discussion with Touche Amore’s Jeremy Bolm on Mosh Talks’ Album of the Year series.
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