It turns out the light they made went against everything Balance and Composure truly were inside. While their 2016 attempt to experiment beyond their familiar path of brooding post-hardcore that brought them to prominence in the first place felt right for the Doylestown band in a time where the shape of the scene was shifting as regional peers Title Fight and Turnstile gravitated toward woozier atmospheres in their own respects, brightening the corners with dreamy indie-pop pastels is ultimately what broke the band.

Thankfully, the quintet has realized in the years since initially saying goodbye in 2019 that ending their storied career arch on a low note wasn’t being true to who they were (in short, their now-departed drummer was to blame for that, and his space has more healthily been filled by former Saves the Day drummer Dennis Wilson…) and what we have is a full circle return in ultimate form on their comeback eight years in the making, with you in spirit.

Longtime listeners might hear this as an apology from the band to their them for all of the right reasons, as they’ve made sure to reconnect with that original energy of tempering moody melodic hardcore with a big, rocky grunge rumble that blocks just the right amount of light, but otherwise is most comfortable seeking answers to big questions in the dark. It’s immaculately constructed this time around, and that hat tip goes out to reuniting with Will Yip in the studio, because he’s always known just how much to let them bleed and where to let their sound shimmer.

That doubles for vocalist Jon Simmons, too. Age hasn’t softened his lyrical blows, as he’s still playing guess with God, getting terrified and mortified by mortality, and deconstructing his own self-sabotaging habits in true emo fashion. And you know what? It’s good to hear that he still hasn’t figured it all out, because if he had all of the answers, then Balance and Composure might not feel the need to keep chipping away at the heavy existential cross bear for our entertainment. The spirit flows through them once again, and thank god — or whatever is out there pulling the strings of this chaos — for making Balance and Composure believe in their own darkness again.

Highlights: “ain’t it sweet”, “a little of myself”, “with you in spirit”

Balance and Composure’s with you in spirit will be released October 4th on Memory Music.

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