New Jersey emo-punk revivalists
Save Face make their major-label debut with the concept album
Merci, a taut burst of melodic earnestness that tells the tragedy of Kaleb and Blake, a star-crossed pair who fall in love and die together against a Parisian backdrop. Through rehab and relapse, in love and in death, the lovers' dramatic narrative is ideal content for
Save Face's delivery, which combines frontman Tyler Povanda's alternating harmonic singing and bloody screaming with driving force that recalls the power pop hooks of early
Weezer ("Nothin'"), the raw riffs of
Nirvana ("Bad"), and the tenderness of
Jimmy Eat World at their most pensive ("Heartache," "Pour"). As the tale unfolds, Kaleb struggles with addiction -- to both illicit substances and love itself -- and Blake serves as the positive support system that ultimately can't save them, ending in an ambiguous dual death in the same hospital room. Despite the heavy, potentially triggering lyrical content, it's a relatable journey for anyone who has ever been caught up in the throes of addiction, whether as the conflicted addict ("Jonesin'," "Reds") or the worrying loved one ("Plans").
Save Face's baseline emo dramatics help infuse the album with the appropriate heartbreak and yearning, while also managing to properly handle the narrative substance. Tighter and more focused than their early EPs,
Merci is an exciting and mature start from a quartet that values storytelling as much as engaging and energetic sonics. ~ Neil Z. Yeung