There’s a particular kind of confidence that comes from a band knowing exactly what it sounds like, and 'TARMAC' wastes little time reminding you that Triggerfinger have spent more than two decades finding theirs.
Powerful opener ‘Everybody’s Looking’ sets the tone immediately, throwing the door open with the kind of muscular, tightly wound rock that has become central to the band’s identity. It feels less like a comeback statement than a band getting back to work, with Ruben Block’s vocals cutting through Mario Goossens’ driving rhythms and the whole thing carrying a sense of momentum that never feels forced.
From there, 'TARMAC' moves comfortably between weight and swagger. ‘Come Clean’ has that loose-limbed confidence at its core, leaning into a groove rather than simply chasing volume. It’s the kind of track that shows why Triggerfinger have always worked so well onstage: the riffs have bite, but there’s enough space between them for the rhythm to breathe.
That balance becomes one of the album’s strengths. Rather than trying to recreate the urgency of their earlier records, Triggerfinger sound like musicians who understand exactly where they are now. There’s still plenty of grit and adrenaline, but it comes with the patience of a band that has spent twenty years learning when to push and when to pull back.
That restraint becomes particularly important as 'TARMAC' moves towards its closing stretch. ‘Shine and Shimmer’ slows everything down, replacing the swagger of the earlier tracks with something more reflective. After an album built around movement, guitars and physical momentum, its measured pace feels almost like the lights coming up after the show. It gives the record room to breathe rather than ending with one final burst of noise.
There’s something fitting about that. Triggerfinger have always been a band defined by performance, but 'TARMAC' is less concerned with proving that they can still make a racket than with showing what happens when musicians with this much history start looking forward again.
The circumstances surrounding the album inevitably give that sense of renewal extra weight. Following years away from the band, individual projects and the departure and subsequent passing of bassist Paul Van Bruystegem, 'TARMAC' arrives with a different kind of emotional context. Yet the record doesn't feel trapped by the past. Its energy comes from the desire to keep moving.
From the immediate impact of ‘Everybody’s Looking’ through the swagger of ‘Come Clean’ and the slower, more reflective glow of ‘Shine and Shimmer’, 'TARMAC' feels like a band rediscovering its chemistry while accepting that neither the musicians nor the world around them are quite the same anymore.
There’s experience here, but not complacency. 'TARMAC' sounds like Triggerfinger looking back just long enough to understand where they’ve been, before putting their foot back on the accelerator. Stream the collection in the player below
