by Kris Handel (@khandel84)
Scout Gillett’s Tough Touch chronicles the experience of a touring musician and the constant sense of change road life entails. On this record, Gillett’s powerful vocals and artistic presence is in constant motion, as she adeptly applies stylistic variety over Tough Touch’s ten tracks. We get songs that range from country-flecked folk beaty to spiky blasts of angsty uncertainty. Gillett and company have learned how to manipulate strong emotions and the desire to experience something new and exciting that continuously drives her forward.
“Coney Island,” one of Gillett’s finest songs to date, is a haunting contemplation on youthful innocence and loss. Gillett’s vocals have a bit of a young Emmylou Harris tone here, whereas Omar Schambacher’s guitars seamlessly combine early Byrds and the grittier Gram Parsons era. “Blur” leisurely sways along with hushed vocals and tentative piano before Gillett’s voice assertively breaks. Textures are willfully manipulated in an striking manner as the mix of sensitivity and fierce outbursts bring the smoldering drama to a head.
“Cherry Blossoms” carries a dream pop weight as darkened guitars move among Gillett’s ghostly and smokey incantations. Ted Jamison (bass) and Abdon Valdez (drums) stir rebirth through an explosion of distortion and thudding rhythm that highlights the changing of seasons from desolation into blooming rebirth. The quirky synth wobbles of “If I Stay” give a new wave slant to its power-pop guitars, which are soaked in surfy reverb. The song bubbles and charges as Gillett ponders if staying in familiar circumstances can prove fruitful or just a dead end rut.
Gillett’s debut album in 2022 was a strong introduction, but through a move to California and years of heavy touring, she has significantly grown. These songs take time to appreciate the world around her and contain an unceasing perseverance. Tough Touch is a passionate and fiery snapshot of the places and memories that have been left behind. It’s a record that is truly from the heart, full of life, and all the more stunning for it.