Tenue - Arcos, Bóvedas, Pórticos

Labels: Chaina Records/Cintas Juan/Last Time You'll See Me/LongLegsLongArms Records/Pifia Records/Tormentas Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 01 Aug 2024

Tracklist:

1. Inquietude

2. Letargo

3. Distracción

4. Enfoque

5. Unión

Spanish post hardcore/emo/crust quartet Tenue recently released their newest album Arcos, Bóvedas, Pórticos via the above labels. It follows their 2018 debut Anábasis and their 2021 album Territorios. Tenue have been mentioned in the same breath as bands like Respire, Birds In Row and Infant Island. This should be a great listen!

Bringing a unique flair to their record with the classy trumpet work of Gabriel Saito, Tenue’s opener ‘Inquietude’ on Arcos, Bóvedas, Pórticos starts off in surprisingly bright fashion. That’s not to say that what follows isn’t bright, but you all know about the harshness that’s invoked when anything screamo/hardcore-adjacent takes over. That said though, the melodic and almost anthemic delivery of Tenue’s crust-laden music leaves plenty of reasons to stick with it (as if you needed any anyway!). 

Being over nine-minutes in length, ‘Inquietude’ is not only a fantastically engrossing opening song, but it’s also an impressive intro for anybody who is new to Tenue as a band. It’s fast and slow sections call out other influences from post to black metal, but ultimately sub-genres don’t matter when the music is this good.

‘Letargo’ is much more frenetic right from the off with mathcore-like panic chords and time signatures gracing the song’s first sixty seconds, before Tenue retreats to a more laid-back emo base. It’s performed really well and sounds super uplifting. Even when things get heavier during it’s mid-section and beyond, things don’t stray to far from Tenue’s melodic blueprint. 

‘Distracción’ is where things hit full black/crust on this record, especially in the vocal department. The instrumentation does lean that way too but again, it’s delivered in a more melodic and punk-like fashion. The breadth at which Tenue performs their music is unbelievable really. Even during the song’s first three minutes, there’s more music than most bands can fit on lengthier albums. 

Penultimate song ‘Enfoque’ has a lovely ambient tone nestling in the background as it’s gentle percussion and guitar work builds. Cinematic post-metal envelopes you as Tenue shifts from that gentle intro towards a heavier approach, albeit subtly. When the tempo switches up, so does the heart rate. Naming similar bands at this point is a completely futile exercise, as Tenue forge their own path. 

’Unión’ closes out the album in breathtaking style, switching between so many different sub-genres almost interchangeably. Once again, the pace is insane yet the music itself is controlled and extremely well played. Honestly, I don’t know what else to say about this record. Maybe the gap between this an my last review has given me a clearer head but whatever, listening to this album has been so much fun. Tenue make astounding music that should be heard by a much wider audience for sure.

You can stream and purchase this release vinyl and digital formats below:-

Tenue - https://www.facebook.com/tenuepunx

Physical copies can also be purchased from the labels below:-

LongLegsLongArms Records - http://longlegslongarms.jp/music/index.php

Zegema Beach Records - CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/tenue / USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/tenue-1

Chaina Records - https://www.facebook.com/ChainaRecords

LongLegsLongArms Records - https://www.facebook.com/3LAdisc

Pifia Records - https://www.facebook.com/pifia.rcs

Tormentas Records - https://www.facebook.com/tormentasrecords

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords