REVIEW: Too Close To Touch Share Emotions One Last Time With Their Final Release ‘For Keeps’

Kentucky based post-hardcore band Too Close to Touch have delivered us their third and final record with ‘For Keeps’. This marks their first release since their ‘I’m Hard to Love, But So Are You’ EP’s from 2019 to 2020. It also marks their final release (as far as we know), after the unfortunate passing of vocalist Keaton Pierce in 2022. This release is comprised of Keaton‘s final recordings with the band, with the help of a few friends of theirs to lend their voices. It’s reminded us one last time why this band was so special and emotional as they were since their inception into the scene from 2013 to 2024.

The record opens with probably the most anticipated song to hear, with third single “Novocaine”. It’s a familiar and comforting feeling when you hear Keaton‘s vocals throughout this track, especially him belting out the chorus with raw and true emotion. The song brings a very ‘Nerve Endings’ kind of feel to it, it’s a nice way to start this off. Noah Sebastian from Bad Omens also features on this track, and the bridge he sings is truly an emotional and wonderful one. Shoutout to the lyric “Tell me the words you want to say, give them to me and I’ll relay. But know it just won’t be the same”. It’s such a powerful section and it’s like he’s speaking to his friend one last time here. We follow with “Disappear”, which has more of a classic sound for them here and continues on that familiarity. The chorus here is delivered so well by Keaton and it’s one of the more catchier ones from the record. He has such a way with delivering melodies and lyrics like these with such cadence, he was one of the more distinguishable voices in the scene for sure. We’re onto the third track with a more experimental kind of song, with “Hurt Reynolds”. This one follows more of the kind of sound they had on the “I’m Hard to Love…” EP’s. It’s probably my least favorite from this record since it’s not my taste really, but there’s still so much to appreciate here like the gritty kind of feeling you get hearing it. Also guitarist Mason Marble‘s work on this track definitely shines here among these tracks. We reach the end of the first half of the record with the first single and probably my favorite track from here, with “Hopeless”. This track scratches an itch I needed one last time from this band, and it brings me back to why I loved them. It’s got some real ‘Haven’t Been Myself’ vibes, which was my favorite record from 2016. It captures the perfect kind of melody and emotion all in one track.  Telle Smith from The Word Alive features on this track, after featuring on their track “Hell to Pay” back in 2015. Their voices go so well together, like peanut butter and jelly and it really does bring me back to that era of the scene. 

We enter the second half of the record with an acoustic track, with “Heavy Hearts”. This one feels nicely placed in between the two singles and continues the emotion here. The chorus is another memorable one here and feels like it could’ve been a real sing-along live, and captures the band’s spirit well. Keaton‘s voice shines like the light at the end of a tunnel here, and it’s beautiful it’s showcased one last time. We’re followed up with the second single from the record, with “Control”. This track feels like a nice mix of their two records that came before, and it makes total sense why this was a single. The chorus is huge and the rawness of Keaton‘s voice really comes through nicely, during the bridge as well. It’s also a nice contrast between the chill verses and the booming chorus we get, this band is getting to be in their bag one last time and I love it. This is definitely my other favorite track from the record, it’s just a banger all around. Shoutout to the lyric “Why am I stopping everything that’s gonna save me?” also. It’s one I’m sure many can relate to and Keaton‘s lyricism lives on proudly today. We reach the penultimate track with “Designer Decay” and it’s probably the band’s most out there track today. It’s the track that has the least amount of Keaton on here, but Elijah Witt from Cane Hill is here to make up for it with the aggression. It’s leaning on the more rock-oriented sort of heavy for them on this one, especially with having a breakdown in the middle of the track. It’s definitely one to leave an impression the most with listeners I’m sure, and another highlight for me as well. The chorus feels catchy and unlike anything this band has released in the past, it’s pretty wild. We end the record with most likely their final track to date, with “They Don’t Even Know”. It’s a pretty fitting final track, which captures the energy of the band one last time with some energy to it as well. It certainly captures some of the energy of the previous track, with a more subtle nature to it. The vocals here feel more lowkey if anything, especially during the chorus. And I love how aggressive it gets instrumentally towards the end. 

In conclusion, ‘For Keeps’ feels like a fitting and solid farewell to Keaton and Too Close to Touch‘s legacy they’ve shared with us over the years. They’ve been one of the more impressive post-hardcore bands in the scene, and their music will live on for all to hear. Keaton Pierce was a truly special human being, and his voice and his words will live on forever. 

Check out the video for “Novocaine” below.