The True Faith "They Can Always Hurt You More"

Fresh off their Leucovorin Rescue b/w What Is Owed 7”, Boston’s True Faith return with their debut full-length album, They Can Always Hurt You More. The record presents a bleak, introspective examination of the dehumanizing experience faced by medical trainees, capturing the trials, frustrations, and quiet desperation of entering the final year of medical education. Lead vocalist Travis Benson explains, “While this album is a testament to our own personal experiences with mistreatment and abuse in the medical system, I think it really speaks to a greater theme of labor exploitation across all disciplines.” From the echoing chorus of “Haven’t You Had Enough” in Gestalt to the sobering resignation of idealism in The Passion, the album is a direct reflection on systems that consume those within them.

Sonically, They Can Always Hurt You More builds on the guitar-driven sound explored in their prior 7”, while expanding into a rich post-punk and coldwave soundscape. The band enlists Francisco Ilabaca on synthesizer and Tom Weir of Old Moon on drums, weaving together elements of shoegaze, melancholic melodies, and atmospheric tension. The result is a sound reminiscent of The Chameleons and The Sound, balancing stark emotional depth with intricate, layered instrumentation.

As another high-water mark for emerging post-punk label à La Carte Records, They Can Always Hurt You More solidifies True Faith’s growing influence in the scene. The album not only serves as a document of personal struggle and reflection, but also as a harbinger of the band’s future trajectory, hinting at further evolution and continued innovation in their post-punk vision.