tunnel traffic's "Age of Convictions" Culminates From Years of Introspection
tunnel traffic, the mostly-solo project of Philly songwriter Adam Hachey, rests somewhere between purposeful indie rock and introspective bedroom pop. The band released their debut LP, Absolute Dreams, in 2015, and it exists in this really cool space between a full out indie-acoustic album and a synthetic film score-esque work. It’s difficult to pin down exactly the feel, but that was intentional. tunnel traffic is self-described as “not tied to any particular sound.”
December’s Age of Convictions leans into a heavier sound. Hachey has traded acoustic guitars for electric and added a gritty bass line courtesy of Harshith D’mello. The album opens with an instrumental track, “Waker,” a slow building tease of what the tracks have to offer. Hachey is a fan of concept albums, and this prelude feels like it’s purposefully staying a little guarded so as not to completely give away all the best parts of the following songs. The back-and-forth glimmers of a light and heavy guitar listen like a conversation, and the topic Hachey wants to unpack with this album is: are you staying true to your convictions? You certainly find out as the album progresses.
The opener seamlessly transitions into “Another Story,” featuring Jacky Muñoz’s soft-spoken vocals. Her delicate soprano tone shouldn’t be overlooked, though. When fully harnessed, she can transition easily between shimmer and a harsh half-spoken timbre. Her voice sounds like it would fit so comfortably in a punk rock group. It has a subtle edgy theatricality to it that pairs well with the harshness of the synthetic soundscape behind it.
Each track seems to take a deeper step into a self-reflective space, toeing the line between a gentle harshness and outright heavy rock. Lyrically, the conversation is constantly being pushed in a direction of, "what’s going on here?” Especially in “Stand,” it’s a back and forth with the speaker. Should I do this? Should I do that? Is there a point? Isn’t there? Ultimately, the answers are left up to the listener. Many of these songs can be spun from different perspectives, making the concept of the album universally applicable.
Age of Convictions is a self-produced effort that has been four years in the making. The result of watching recent political events and pivoting towards an introspective take on our social climate rather than a blatant outcry is what makes this work unique. Stylistically, Age of Convictions conveys a sense of frustration and pent-up uncertainty in a way that Absolute Dreams and 2017’s Meesh don’t. This is the least gentle of all of tunnel traffic’s releases, and there are two more on the way.
It’s clear that Hachey is comfortable writing concept albums, and is good at it. The diversity within his discography is an admirable feat for a young songwriter, and I’m hopeful that tunnel traffic’s next two releases will stay consistent with their uniqueness from the rest.