Singer Ann Yu of LoveLikeFire sounds like Neko Case riding on the band’s rolling waves of postpunk drums and guitar. Her voice draws out the sounds. It’s haunting, but not quite up to the drum sounds. Yet, the drums and guitar and their rhythms keep you listening to Tear Ourselves Away, allowing you time to be drawn into Yu’s vocals and what LoveLikeFire is doing.
A bit like Company of Thieves, there’s a sense of a female-led Smiths sounds, especially on the opening track, “William,” like a continuation of the Smiths’ “William, It Was Really Nothing.” Plus, check out how the drums, guitar, and vocals come together well for the smashing, posturing snarl of “Signs” (like the Smiths’ “London”). Lyrically, Yu may be at her most Morrissey-like on “I’ve Pissed Off My Friends.”
