Keep You, the third album by Baltimore post-hardcore heroes
Pianos Become the Teeth, finds the band at a sort of crossroads. Eight years into a career that had them labeled as poster children for the scene's new wave, they've signed on to the roster of storied indie Epitaph, which will no doubt garner them much wider exposure. While the temptation to build on the heavy, desperate angst of their well-received 2011 release
The Lack Long After must have been great, they've chosen a different path, altering their successful formula to deliver a more subtle, contemplative, and melodic album. After all, screamo is a young man's game and the sound of throat-rattling anguish can only be used so long before it begins to feel like theater. While
Keep You couldn't be considered lightweight by any standards, singer
Kyle Durfey has ditched his patent emo howls for a more mature tone that brings a sharper focus to the band's songwriting and arrangements, rather than its attitude. True, this may disappoint some fans who are unwilling to grow with them, but it was the right move for them to make. With veteran producer
Will Yip behind the board,
PBTT immediately show their softer side with the warm, introspective opener "Ripple Water Shine," a standout cut that's strongly representative of their more thoughtful new sound. There are tense, slow-builders like "Old Jaw," which blends nuanced, angular, clean guitar riffs with epic crescendos showing that the band hasn't lost its power, but just wields it differently. But,
Keep You isn't without its growing pains. While more tastefully built than their previous albums, much of it feels bogged down in a mire of textural, midtempo post-rock that could use a bit more luster. It's an album less for blasting out of car radios and more for dusty Sunday afternoons and at times, it can feel a bit dulled by its own weight. Still, it's nice to hear the band stretching out and evolving, and even if
Keep You requires a little more patience there is still much to like about it.