B-Side Guys

Between wakefulness and sleep exists a twilight state of half-consciousness that most of us experience only in passing moments. On “Fixer,” Montreal outfit Tarbox transforms this liminal space into a sustained emotional landscape, creating a singular hybrid that the band appropriately describes as “a unique mix between a slow ballad and a post-hardcore effort.”

The track’s narrative captures a specific type of paralysis—being simultaneously overwhelmed by life’s demands yet unable to take corrective action. When vocalist decries being “ALWAYS TIRED/YET NEVER ENOUGH/AWAKE FOR HOURS/STILL MISSING SOME,” they articulate a uniquely modern affliction: perpetual wakefulness that never translates to genuine presence. This duality extends to the composition itself, which balances delicate melodic passages against explosive catharsis with remarkable precision.

What distinguishes “Fixer” from similar genre exercises is its resistance to easy resolution. While many post-hardcore tracks build toward emotional release through screamed sections, Tarbox subverts this expectation by making their most intense moments feel less like breakthrough and more like further entrapment. The plaintive repetition of “I WISH I COULD/I REALLY WISH I COULD” transforms what might be a declaration of intent into a mantra of impossibility, reflecting how awareness of problems doesn’t automatically confer the ability to solve them.

Musically, the band displays the versatility that has earned them critical acclaim since their debut album “Saviors” and landed their single “White Lie” on iHeart’s CHOM 97.7. Moving comfortably between the melodic sensibilities of Title Fight and the raw intensity of Defeater, Tarbox carves out territory that feels both familiar to genre aficionados and distinctly their own.

As the band prepares for distribution via Warner Music Group after performing over 150 shows across Canada, “Fixer” stands as evidence that their evolving sound maintains its emotional authenticity while expanding its technical reach. The track’s final questioning—”WOULD IT BE BETTER/IF I FIXED EVERYTHING”—suggests that perhaps the true conflict isn’t between action and inaction, but between acceptance and the exhausting pursuit of perfection that leaves us “CONSCIOUS BUT NEVER COMPLETELY.”