Simmons goes on: “The band broke up and I was kinda depressed in Philly.
And during our phone conversation, whenever he tells me he’s about to get honest about this situation, it always sounds like he’s asking for permission - in particular, when he talks about his move to Los Angeles this past April, citing a “mental breakdown,” accompanied by a slight, disarming chuckle.
#Balance and composure break up how to#
“We didn’t know how to answer that really for a while,” Simmons admits. And yet, whether that constituted a hiatus or a final bow was unclear to their fans and even themselves. In December of 2017, Simmons let slip during a podcast that a short run of 10-year anniversary shows in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York would be their last US tour. Likewise, Balance And Composure allowed themselves to exist in a state of self-imposed ambiguity throughout 2018, frustrating their diehard, hoodied fans. The Balance And Composure frontman carefully admits to the one criticism he’s taken to heart over the years - that his lyrics can run a bit vague compared to the stylish, slegdehammer alt-rock of his band. The projected backdrop was a beautiful touch to the set design, La Dispute are known for delving in visual arts, their album covers, release designs and limited artworks testify to that, and it really made the gig feel unique Condolences to Brad Lugt for having to stare into the projector for an hour and a half.Jon Simmons admits he’s trying to be more direct in 2019, but it doesn’t come naturally. All of the songs they played however, including a beefed up performance of ‘Niine’ off Here, Hear III were played beautifully. Opening up with back-to-back Rooms of the House openers ‘HUDSONVILLE MI 1956’ and ‘First Reactions After Falling Through Ice’ was a sure-fire way to get the crowd ready, and the 5 piece nailed it all, La Dispute’s touring guitarist filled in beautifully, however the absence of more abrasive songs culminating in guitar harmonies was noted. On their second trip here within a year, La Dispute played a near perfect set, cramming in 19 songs largely drawing from their latest two, Rooms of the House and Wildlife. Being such a musically niche offering, I was interested in seeing how their new touring guitarist would cope, following the loss of Kevin post- Rooms of the House release to become a guitar luthier, and holy shit, cope they did. Jordan Dreyer’s signature whiny talk/scream/sing/thing delivery would be nothing without the musical back-bone that is La Dispute. La Dispute would be nothing without Jordan Dreyer’s signature whiny talk/scream/sing/thing delivery. Instrumentally very tight, weaving between guitar led melody and through to some experimentation with some noise pedals through some cuts, Balance and Composure are really held down by lead vocalist Jon Simmons, who with his limited range creates beautiful vocal lines over jangly guitars and emotion-filled drums. Balance and Composure made it known how happy they were to be back in Australia, and played mostly new tracks from their latest album The Things We Think We’re Missing, with ‘Parachutes’ ending the set on a high note.