Wiretap Scars

Frontman Jim Ward and guitarist Paul Hinojos both cited Fugazi and Jawbreaker as personal influences during the writing of the album. Ward cited Billy Joel as an influence on his songwriting and melodies. Ward has also noted that Radiohead's Kid A inspired him to avoid traditional song structures, stating:Fuck the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus. I fall into it, we all fall into it, but: We have songs where there is no strategy to the song, it's a fucking mindfuck. But it's got the hooks into it. It makes you want to listen to it. That's what I thought is great about Kid A, is that it... There's songs where there is one guitar part that does the entire song, but the rest of the song is changing it.Some of the guitar parts that appear on the album, such as the main riff for "Air", were written while At the Drive-In was still together, and had been slated for their followup to Relationship of Command. According to Ward, "Collapse" deals with "one of the lowest and scariest moments of my life," which occurred while he was in Australia with At the Drive-In. == Recording ==

Whereas most rock producers typically record drums followed by bass, followed by the guitars, producer Jerry Finn had Ward and Hinojos record guitars after drums had been recorded and before the bass, which influenced how Ward has recorded all his albums since then. ==Critical reception==

Wiretap Scars garnered positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average rating of 69, based on 14 reviews. Sputnikmusic emeritus Damrod praised the band's musicality for its use of instruments and electronic beats to craft quiet yet rough tracks that flow well throughout the record, concluding that "This is a great album by a great band. Definitely one of the better Indie/Post-Hardcore bands out there. The production is good, the overall feel of the album as well. If you liked ATD-I, I guess you will have kind of easy access to this one, though it is much more mellow than most stuff by ATD-I." Honolulu Star-Bulletin's Gary Chun praised the album, saying that "bracing, punk-fueled rock music hasn't sounded this smart and focused since Fugazi's heyday." Alternative Press ranked "Cut Your Ribbon" at number 61 on their list of the best 100 singles from the 2000s. ==Tour==

On April 12, 2023, the band announced a 40-city U.S. tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut record, beginning on May 4 at the Nile Half House in Mesa, Arizona and finishing on August 12 in Dallas' Southside Music Hall. '68, Thursday's Geoff Rickly and zeta were supporting acts on the tour. ==Track listing==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Wiretap Scars.{{cite AV media notes|title=Wiretap Scars Sparta • Jim Ward – guitar, vocals • Paul Hinojos – guitar • Matt Miller – bass • Tony Hajjar – drums Additional musician • Finn Mannich – cello Artwork • Jason Noto • Doug Cunningham Production • Jerry Finn – producer, mixing • Joe McGrath – engineer • Alex Aligizakis – 2nd engineer • Mike Fasano – drum tech • Jeff Moses – mix assistant ==Charts==