IN REVIEW: Frank Turner - "FTHC"

 

The "back to your roots" album can be a tricky thing to market; whenever you (or a critic, or a fan) claim this when talking about a new album, especially one that comes some twenty years after the roots in question, there's going to be some added scrutiny. In Frank Turner's case, these roots are in Million Dead, a post-hardcore outfit that released two records (2003's A Song to Ruin and 2005's Harmony No Harmony) before breaking up; they were well-revered in their native England, and I don't think I'm stepping too far out of line when I say that many considered Million Dead a Brit counterpart to influential American acts like At the Drive-In.

Since Million Dead's demise, Frank Turner has gone on to forge a very respectable solo career while prolifically creating smart, earnest songs that have far more in common with folk than hardcore; while Turner has occasionally incorporated some rough edges into his work, the majority of his eight previous solo albums (released between 2007 and 2019) lean toward more standard, acoustic-based singer/songwriter fare.

So, one could be forgiven for taking the implied promise of an album essentially titled "Frank Turner Hard Core" with a grain of salt, and those who are more familiar with his solo work than his formative stint with Million Dead will have their expectations better met. Things start off true enough to the claim with the speedy, furious Non Serviam, which finds Turner in a sour mood and hitting out at the haters; there's a jubilant crunch to early single The Gathering, which earnestly looks forward to going back to sweaty clubs and taking in shows. 

Things get a little closer to power pop with Haven't Been Doing So Well, a bouncy and dynamic number with a sticky chorus, but there's still an edge to it; the same can be said for Untainted Love, a rumination on growing out of drug addictions that plays like a cross between 2007-era Biffy Clyro and 2007-era Against Me! Fatherless feels like a quintessential Frank Turner rocker, albeit louder and with a little more bite, as Turner laments the lack of a father figure (we'll address that proper soon); My Bad goes into Bad Religion territory, minus the oohs and ahs and plus a melodic, atmospheric chorus that calls ...Trail of Dead to mind.

At this point, we get to the mid-point of the record, and its true heart; Miranda, coming mere minutes after the pissed off, estranged Fatherless, tells the true story of Turner's father's coming out as a transgender woman. Turner prefers Miranda to the bitter, angry father who he grew up with, concluding "Miranda, it's lovely to meet you". It's a touching story of reconciliation, and leads directly into the record's emotional centrepiece; A Wave Across a Bay is a haunted and ethereal ode to Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchinson, the revered indie rocker whose body was found on a riverbank a day after his disappearance in May 2018. Turner's working through his grief on the song, trying to make sense of Hutchinson's death, coming to grips with the tragedy but choosing to remember his smile over all else. It's a simply beautiful tribute, and a true high point in Turner's career.

A rollicking look back at long passed days, The Resurrectionists takes a sunny, piano-led melody and surrounds it with an energetic, dynamic performance which gets a visceral boost by the familiar screams of Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil as it hurdles toward its end. Punches throws a dash of pop-punk into the mix (complete with a soaring, half-time chorus), while Perfect Score gives me slight Tragically Hip vibes musically, which I know isn't the intention here but I'll take it.

The closing trio of songs pretty much abandons the "HC" in FTHC, but I'll forgive him for retreating into more familiar musical space; The Work is upbeat and triumphant in tone, as Turner praises the rewards of putting in the work in life and relationships. Little Life and Farewell to My City recount Turner's post-pandemic move out of London to Essex County; the former addresses the culture shock from the hustle and bustle to "a quiet street half an hour from the train station". The latter, meanwhile, plays like a bittersweet break-up song, Turner eulogizing his last 20 years ("give or take") in London and reminiscing the ups and downs as the song builds in intensity around him. It's a thrilling send-off, with Turner promising "I'll still see you at shows".

FTHC isn't quite the balls-to-the-wall affair it was perhaps built up as, but it certainly packs the most bite of any Frank Turner solo record to date. It's also his best in years, offering a variety of sounds that would have been impossible had he simply stuck with what was scrawled on the tin; its dynamics, emotional peaks and valleys, and impeccable sequencing make FTHC an album that might be soft at its core, but hard to ignore.

February 11, 2022 • Xtra Mile/Polydor

Highlights Haven't Been Doing So Well • A Wave Across a Bay • The Resurrectionists