southern constellations

No, The Jaws of Life Isn't "Too Slow"

an essay by Leo Romance / written Feb. 13 2023

Pierce the Veil, a San Diego based screamo band, released their fifth studio album, The Jaws of Life, 3 days ago on February 10th. If Instagram comments begging Vic Fuentes to release the album are anything to go by, then I’d say the album was highly anticipated. Three singles, Pass the Nirvana, Emergency Contact, and Even When I’m Not With You, were released in 2022 leading up to the album. Despite all the pleading and general impatience of the fanbase, Pass the Nirvana was not necessarily well received; People complained that Mike, their former drummer who left after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced, should come back to the band, that “it doesn’t sound like old PTV at all!” and that it’s shit and “straight up not it.” Out of all the singles, Emergency Contact was the one that received the most praise, presumably because Vic’s recognizable emo vocals made a strong return. With the full album being out, many people are once again complaining that it’s once again “not Pierce the Veil”, mid, a solid 6/10, and just too slow. I am here to prove them wrong.

The main claim that I most have an issue with is the claim that The Jaws of Life is too slow.
There are plenty of slow and melodic songs on the album, yes, but it’s nothing that Pierce the Veil fans haven’t heard before. Well-loved songs like Floral and Fading, Kissing in Cars, Sambuka, and Hold On Till May are all slow songs by screamo standards, and no one seemed to have a problem with those (Note: when I say “no one” I am referring to the PTV TikTok and Instagram fanbase at large). Another thing I will touch on very quickly is how much it saddens me that PTV’s largest fanbase is concentrated solely on TikTok and Instagram. MCR and FOB for example have absolutely huge fan communities on Tumblr, my social media of choice, whereas PTV has no collective fandom, only a couple people posting gifsets and old pictures. I truly believe in my heart that Vic Fuentes deserves more recognition as an emo songwriter, and in a perfect world his name would be given the same reverence that lyricists like Gerard Way and Pete Wentz receive. In a perfect world, Pierce the Veil would be appreciated on Tumblr and have their lyrics analyzed and screenshotted and web-woven and people would make collages and art and poems about how PTV changed their life; But the reality is that we get thousands of 30 second videos either loving or hating the band, and one billion Instagram comments saying it’s not the same anymore. I think a side effect of PTV fans being isolated to TikTok is another thing that impacts fan reception of the album. The emo revival means that a lot more teenagers are getting into the 2000’s scene, including the music and the fashion, which is all fine and good. Hell, the only reason I’m even here is because on New Years Eve 2019 I decided I was going to be emo for the rest of my life. And while the very meaning of scene kid is poser, the online emo revival scene is full of posers. That is to say, you’re not REALLY emo if you don’t listen to these EMO bands [insert post hardcore, nu metal, crunkcore, hyperpop, breakcore, vocaloid, etc here]!!!! Okay, I’m sort of straying from the point and that could be it’s own essay, but what I want to say is that there’s these things called sped up audios/nightcore on TikTok which is literally just music being sped up for the vibes of it all. Combine this with an already short attention span caused by 24 hour TikTok usage, and you’ve got a group of very stubborn emo kids who can’t handle slow ballads. Anyway, I am of the opinion that you should listen to Misadventures at the very least, before you start speaking on the slowness of the album. And maybe try listening to heavy metal, all the songs are 7 minutes long and are slow as hell.
Another common complaint is that it just doesn’t sound like Pierce the Veil!
This is, in my eyes, entirely false. Almost every element of the Jaws of Life that is generally disliked can be observed throughout their entire discography. For example, maybe you think Pass the Nirvana leans too much into grunge and fuzz, however this band is no stranger to distortion pedals and unconventional intros. It is also worth noting that they haven’t released music since 2016’s Misadventures, and since then Vic Fuentes has gotten married, celebrated his 40th birthday, become a father, and been hard at work with his charity foundation. The Jaws of Life is a reflection of Vic’s life, to me at least. I think it shows a newfound maturity, romanticism and sensuality that reflects the growth that Vic and his family and his bandmates have experienced in their time away. Of course it won’t sound exactly the same as it did 7 years ago, but you can definitely tell that the band’s past has come together to create their new sound, and you can pick out little bits and pieces of other albums in this one.
And okay, I know Shared Trauma is WAY different from what any of us are used to with PTV.
But hey, they tried something new, and the lyrics are very beautiful and heartfelt, and his voice is amazing. It’s an interesting thing they attempted with the more lo-fi vibe and I do not dislike it. And alright, the Chloe Moriondo feature surprised me, just like his collab with Cavetown did. Part of me is wondering who the hell introduced him to these white ukulele musicians and who turned him on to indie bedroom lo-fi pop, but the closing track doesn’t sound terrible. I honestly and genuinely love The Jaws of Life, and I feel very deeply about it; So much so that I get nauseous when I see people hate on the album, but I feel like that about all my special interests. It is clear to me that a lot of these songs are influenced by how much Vic loves his wife Danielle and the growth he’s experienced as he’s come into fatherhood. This is an album full of love, that I love, that is undeserving of the hate it gets for the work that was put into it.