For nearly two decades, Tigers Jaw have been quietly shaping the modern emo and indie punk landscape.
The Scranton band return March 27th with Lost on You, their new album via Hopeless Records, a record that leans into everything that’s always made the band resonate while still stretching into new territory.
Across the past few months, Tigers Jaw have previewed the record with singles including ‘Primary Colors’, ‘Ghost’, ‘Head is Like a Sinking Stone’, and the newly released ‘BREEZER’, the latter arrives with a cinematic video directed by Rebecca Lader and Kelsey Ayres, placing Brianna Collins at the centre of a surreal, introspective visual journey.
Behind the new material sits the same core chemistry that has carried the band since their earliest days in Pennsylvania.
Built from a small scene
Tigers Jaw’s story starts in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it’s the sort of place where music scenes survive because people build them from scratch. Ben Walsh remembers those early days as a DIY scramble powered by boredom, curiosity, and a tight knit community:
‘I think, you know, we were inspired by such a small but really creative community in Scranton,’ Walsh says. ‘And in this sort of sister city, Wilkes-Barre, that’s about 11 miles away.’
Back then, even short drives felt like touring.
‘At that point we were 16 years old. Even Wilkes-Barre being 10 or 11 miles down the road felt like playing in another city, like going on tour.’
The shows themselves happened wherever space allowed, we’re talking basement gigs, rented halls normally used for bingo nights, any room that could hold a crowd.
‘You kind of got to make your own way and make exciting things happen,’ he says. ‘So we would throw shows anywhere that we could.’
That DIY spirit wasn’t unique to Tigers Jaw, the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area has produced a surprising number of bands across punk, hardcore and heavier music.
‘There’s Motionless In White and Breaking Benjamin,’ Walsh says (much to my surprise, seriously I felt silly for not knowing). ‘There’s Title Fight and The Menzingers and Captain, We’re Sinking from the punk and hardcore side. Those are some of the notable acts from the area.’
Chasing new sounds on Lost on You
With Lost on You, Tigers Jaw weren’t interested in repeating themselves, Walsh says the band deliberately gave themselves time during the writing process, ideas were tested, reshaped, and sometimes rebuilt entirely before landing in the final tracklist.
‘I think there’s a lot of ideas that we chased on this record that are very new sonically for our band,’ he explains.
Instead of rushing the process, the band focused on what felt natural when they played together.
‘We gave ourselves the luxury of time. We tried not to rush anything. We kind of let the ideas happen.’
The result, Walsh says, feels immediate, the songs reflect the dynamic that comes from years of playing together.
‘The songs feel very immediate. They’re a very good representation of us playing live.’
Will Yip remains part of the family
Once again, the band teamed up with longtime collaborator Will Yip at Studio 4 in Philadelphia, Yip has worked with Tigers Jaw for years, and Walsh says that familiarity has only deepened.
‘It feels so great working with Will. He’s like a de facto member of the band at this point,’ Walsh says.
Beyond the technical side of recording, the relationship now runs deeper.
‘He just has such a great grasp on what it is that we do. And he knows how to push us in the right way to get the best takes.’
Writing in a heavy world
While the lyrics on Lost on You don’t directly tackle current events, Walsh admits it’s impossible to shut out the weight of the world entirely.
‘I mean, everything is very heavy, very taxing in the world right now,’ he says.
That pressure seeps into the emotional tone of the record, even if it’s not explicitly spelled out.
‘Your body is harnessing all this energy, all this negative energy from all the things that we know we’re enduring.’
Still motivated after nearly 20 years
Tigers Jaw formed in the mid 2000s, Yet Walsh says the band still feels driven to keep moving forward, ‘I mean, yeah, it feels like forever and it also feels like just last year,’ he says. New listeners continue to discover the band, which keeps things feeling fresh, ‘There’s still stuff that we want to do. There’s still places that we want to go.’
For Walsh, the creative spark hasn’t faded.
‘I’m still inspired to write more music. I’m still inspired to do more touring.’
Australia still on the radar
Australian fans may have reason to keep an eye on this album cycle as well, Walsh says the band are keen to return, even if plans aren’t locked in yet:
‘I’m hoping so. We don’t have anything set in stone just yet, but it’s definitely a priority on this record cycle to come to Australia.’
The country clearly left a mark on previous visits, ‘It’s the best place. We love it every time. The country is beautiful, the food is great, the coffee is really great. People are very kind.’
A record meant to last
Looking ahead, Walsh hopes Lost on You becomes a meaningful chapter in the band’s story, ‘I just hope it’s a strong enough statement and the songs are impactful enough that they stick with people,’ he says. He adds that the band feel especially proud of what they achieved on this album, ‘I feel super proud of what we’ve accomplished with this record. Sonically, lyrically, just the performances.’
And when the dust settles years from now, he hopes the songs still resonate, ‘I hope people connect to these songs the way that I do.’
Tigers Jaw’s new album Lost on You arrives March 27th via Hopeless Records.
Lost on You tracklist:
- Lost on You
- It’s ok
- Primary Colors
- Head is Like a Sinking Stone
- Anxious Blade
- Baptized on a Redwood Drive
- BREEZER
- Ghost
- Staring at Empty Faces
- Light Leaks Through
- Roses + Thorns
Pre order here.
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