Vinyl LP
Four years out from their excellent full-length debut Total Restraint, Tosser return with the hammering Sheer Humanity, on which the D.C. post-hardcore band activate their most striking and volatile compositions to date by bending their signature melodic impulses into satisfyingly warped and pulverizing arrangements.
With zero breaks across nine tracks, Sheer Humanity is intended to feel like a live set, as the band cram hooks and detours in every second of the record’s 25 minutes. Tosser barrel out the gates with “Swing,” wail their way into the sawtoothed intro of “Only Way Out,” and later bridge the noise gap between one-two highlights “Phased Out” and “Blank.”
Despite the project’s palpable tone shift, Tosser’s pop sensibilities remain the heart of their material. Look no further than “Habit” and “Rinse,” the latter of which capture some of Tosser’s greatest strengths; a collar-grabbing intro, a slippery rhythmic bridge, and Eric Zidar’s stark lyrical imagery. “Knew the true outcome/ Still dove in again,” the vocalist admits. “What I mean is/ Rinsing off my gums/ Until they bleed again.”
There are some stunning musical passages on Sheer Humanity that show just how well Tosser knows their way around a hook. Even when there’s no clear melody, there’s always a moving resolution. Take penultimate cut “Control,” which dirges for a minute before turning its dramatic resolve into a one-chorus finale. Even at their most pop-averse, Tosser maintains an overwhelming knack for immediacy.
