Like so many bands that existed in the alt / art underground during the 90s, Tintoretto failed to pay dividends on their obvious talent. Despite being a rather special band – and having themselves risen from the ashes of Managra (who split in 1998), Tintoretto burned brightly before calling it a day in the wake of a US East Coast tour. They left behind comparatively little – a four-track EP, as well as four additional songs released posthumously in 2000 on a compilation CD – while the members went off to find success in other acts, certain that Tintoretto had been laid to rest for good.
The past rarely stays buried, however, and in 2021, Expert Work Records made an approach to the band to see about re-releasing their catalogue on vinyl. While remixing the work to bring it up to today’s standards, the band found they were no longer satisfied with the recordings and, instead of remixing what was there, set about re-recording everything from scratch. The results, after many delays, are finally with us in the form of this self-titled LP, and it proves to have been more than worth the wait.
It opens with the nimble, bass-led Dying Days. With surprisingly athletic percussion, the track recalls the likes of Fugazi, Sebadoh, and UK-based-art-rockers Cable – drawing the listener in with a series of cyclical riffs that give way to something darker and heavier as the track progresses. It’s a hell of an opening gambit, and it’s hard to believe that this music has been effectively lost for so many decades – as it would surely have found an audience had it been widely released. The second track, Are You Still Dying Darling is, if anything, even better, adding a touch of Cure-esque post-punk to proceedings, making it all the sweeter when the big riffs finally come crashing in. What a start. With pitch-perfect production from Shane Hochstetler (the band’s talented drummer), you’re drawn into the heady world of late-90s indie / punk, and it says a great deal of both the genre and the band’s delivery that it sounds as much as if it belongs to today as it does to the dim and distant past. The explosive Rifle Merit Badge sees cacophonous guitars, stabbing riffs, and grinding bass vying for attention – bringing to mind the bands that hung out on Hydra Head’s roster, before Negatory rounds out the first half on a calmer note. Returning to the downbeat world of Sebadoh, it’s a melodic track with a lo-fi edge but, throughout it all, there’s a sense that the band could explode at any moment.
Kicking off the second half, the stabbing riff of I Betray My Friends is underpinned by jazzy drums and probing bass lines, the band delivering a masterclass in math rock. It’s followed by the lighter-of-touch I Miss You Miss Me Not, which clothes its wounded heart in punk rock spirit. The pace slows yet further for The End (Old Gods), which nods to End Hits-era Fugazi, with its deftly interlocking guitars and airy vocals. It’s an album highpoint, and it neatly paves the way for concluding number Sweet Release – another carefully constructed piece that showcases the band’s ability to build the tension to breaking point, before finally providing a ferocious pay off. Almost operatic in its multiple layers and sweeping sense of drama, Sweet Release is the perfect finale for this intense work of art.
A brilliantly realised album, this self-titled effort sees the members of Tintoretto bringing their contemporary skills to compositions that reflect the youthful vigour of their past, and the results are astonishing. A vibrant, engaging, and consistently engaging record, it captures the essence of an era while being so impassioned in its delivery that the results are timeless. A glorious exhumation, we can only hope that the experience persuades the various members of Tintoretto that it’s worth another turn on the merry-go-round, because this is just brilliant. 9.5/10
