A Tiger Made of Lightning "The Only Way Out Is Through" EP Review
A Tiger Made of Lightning’s sophomore EP, The Only Way Out Is Through provides a solid follow up to the band’s first EP It’s Chaos, Be Kind. The Columbus, Ohio-based band has become known for being a break-out band in the post-hardcore and emo genre, and The Only Way Out Is Through showcases their writing ability as both an instrumental and lyrical powerhouse.
The intro to the first track is a sample of band members talking - it’s goofy and realistic of the pet peeves in life, but there’s also a serious note to it, with the vocalist explaining that “If you expect good things, good things will happen, etc”. The delivery of these lines can be jolting for a first time listener, but it leads into a solid composition that evokes an epic swell of emotion.
The second track, “Tonight We Come to Life” offers a contrast to the intro track with heavier emotional depth and vocals. The lyrics discuss the difficulties one can face when making the choice to face the light or recede back into the dark. There’s an interesting, but positive contrast between what instrumentally is a heavy song, but has lighter, hopeful lyrical content. The dynamics of this song ramp up the energy and showcases what one can expect from the rest of the EP.
The next couple of songs, “Let Go or Be Dragged Down” and “I’m Worried My Cat Thinks I Can’t Change” both have nice chorus harmonies that transition well between the screaming vocals in the verses and breakdowns. The guitars are heavy where they need to be and crisp where it counts to create a catchy, straightforward sound. “I’m Worried My Cat Thinks I Can’t Change” serves as a slight tonal differentiation and midpoint. There’s more of a hard rock feel to the song a majority of the time, but it still manages to carve out a beautiful space in the track listing that doesn’t take away from what’s been heard so far.
“Damn the Man, Save the Empire” has more of an upbeat feel to it and a very straightforward song structure, which is a positive thing. “Track Star Calves” consists of engaging vocals and a rhythmic feel that is reminiscent of the tides being pulled in and back out to the ocean - it’s a very easy song to want to mosh to.
“How Do You Want to Do This” is the perfect ending song for The Only Way Out Is Through, featuring a cathartic intro that showcases the strong lyrical content of this EP to its highest caliber. The epic build-up to the crest of this track evokes a hard-hitting emotional response that leaves listeners wanting to press repeat as the song fades to the end of release.
There’s enough of a compositional difference in each song on the EP to provide the sense that these songs are individual of each other, but cohesive enough in overall tone to make the album feel solid as a whole. The Only Way Out Is Through provides a compelling listening experience between the insightful, emotional lyrics, paired with crunchy guitars and a precise rhythm section.
The only thing that feels out of place on the EP is the intro sample - although it’s humorous, which one would assume showcases the personality of band members behind A Tiger Made of Lightning, it’s an off-putting first thing to hear. But, the quality content of the actual tracks on the EP greatly outshine this one discrepancy. The band does a good job of transitioning into breakdowns without it feeling like it comes out of nowhere. The song structure gets a little repetitive in some parts, but the songs themselves are well-written enough and there’s small production details scattered throughout each track that adds a nice touch to the entire EP.
A Tiger Made of Lightning have delivered a solid post-hardcore EP. Listeners will find their heads moving to the beat of every single song and will eagerly await to see what new heights the band will reach next.
9/10
