Title Fight is a rock band from Kingston, Pennsylvania, that is considered to be a blend of the shoegaze, midwest emo, and hardcore punk genres. They have a remarkably distinct sound, as their songs are often characterized by poetic lyrics, strong vocals, and good instrumentals. Their story as a band began in 2003 when the band mates were just four middle schoolers. While the band members were in their mid-20s in 2011, they released their debut studio album Shed, which was quickly followed up with their second album Floral Green in 2012. Their third and final full-length album, Hyperview, was released in 2015, under the record label Anti-. They released several EPs before and in between. They haven’t released new music since Hyperview, and they haven’t performed live together since 2018. Ned Russin, the bassist and co-vocalist of the band, has said that he doesn’t consider the band to be broken up or on hiatus, but rather inactive for the foreseeable future.
Hyperview is incredibly different from the rest of Title Fight’s discography and is known as Title Fight’s most experimental LP. The Shed and Floral Green albums shared post-hardcore themes with strong, screamy vocals, while Hyperview aligned more with the shoegaze genre, reminiscent of producer Will Yip’s other projects with Whirr and Superheaven. Hints that they would explore the shoegaze genre existed in songs like Head in the Ceiling Fan from Floral Green, and Safe In Your Skin from Shed. Hyperview’s lyrics are considerably more poetic and vague, and the sound of the LP resembles a soundtrack more than a typical album. Like most shoegaze albums, Hyperview serves its purpose as the background music to an experience, rather than being an immersive experience itself. The distorted vocals, which are mixed to be just as loud as the instrumentals, act more like an instrument than a song’s centerpiece. The tone of each song is distant and disconnected, but still interesting and enjoyable.
The opening track, Murder Your Memory is a slow but brief song that serves its purpose as an introduction to the common themes of the album; adulting and painful introspection. It’s a quiet hand that guides you to the atmosphere that this album takes you to, but also bluntly informs you that this album is not as punk-rock as their previous works, which some long-time fans found unexpected or disappointing. The next track, Chlorine, was the album’s first single and a fan favorite. It’s particularly well-produced and grows on you the more you listen. It’s the song you keep thinking about after you finish listening to the album. The third song, Hypernight, is one that I consider to be the most interesting lyrically. Ned Russin explained in an interview with Culture Creature that the song is “about change and self-growth, and trying not to go back to old ways and stay the same. Trying to be a good person, trying to make the world better. Trying all these impossibly idealistic things because there’s no other way, really.”
With the next track, Mrahc, otherwise known as Backwards Charm, the album picks up pace and signals that the band has gotten comfortable. It has a catchy sound and is oddly dance-able, and the energy of this song makes it one of the better/more exciting ones to experience live, based on YouTube videos of their Hyperview Concerts. The songs Your Pain is Mine Now and Trace Me Onto You are both similar in the sense that they’re catchy but still relatively slow and hazy. They are both some of my favorite songs off of the album, and from Title Fight’s discography overall. Rose of Sharon is the most reminiscent of the hardcore vocals you hear in Shed and Floral Green, but mixed in such a way that the vocals aren’t overpowering and suit the tone of Hyperview. Liars’ Love is also a classic off of the album. It has considerably relatable lyrics that are easy to understand and has a more stripped-down sound. Dizzy slows down even more following the last song, in an almost depressing way, and has a repetitive note opening. If the song cut out the dragging ending, I think it could’ve been a good end to the album. The last song New Vision is the only skip off of the album. It’s supposed to be the outro to the album, but as a standalone song, it’s not especially notable lyric or sound-wise.
Overall, I enjoy this album thoroughly, even more than Shed and Floral Green. Mrahc, Trace Me Onto You, and Your Pain is Mine Now are highlights of the album. I find myself listening to Hyperview the most during quiet drives home after late nights at work, or during nature walks when I want to feel calm. I’d give it a solid 8.5/10, and would buy a CD of Hyperview if I ever came across one.
