Review by Nathaniel Fitzgerald
Ever since the release of their 2006 classic Vheissu, Thrice has been dubbed “The Radiohead of Heavy Music”—a nickname well earned through their propensity for expanding their sonic palette far beyond the thrashy skate punk of their early career and into math rock, post metal, electronica, and even folk and blues. However, for all of their experimental tendencies, they’ve fallen into a bit of a holding pattern since Beggars. While they still operate under the wisdom gained from the lessons of Vheissu and The Alchemy Index, their last several releases have felt a bit, well, comfortable.
Horizons/East however signals another sea change in the post-hardcore legends’ career, making for a fresher album than they’ve released in a long while.
As a whole, Horizons/East sounds very much like it was written in a studio setting rather than by a group of musicians playing in the same room together. And given the state of the world the last eighteen months, it’s hard not to imagine that they wrote the album isolated from one another. Many of the tracks lean heavily away from their typical guitars/bass/drums arrangement, employing more keyboards, electronics, and overdubs than ever before.
“Color of the Sky” opens the album with swelling ambient pads and looping synths running through a proggy chord progression. Its cinematic atmosphere is quickly interrupted by a rapidfire groove courtesy of the Breckenridge Brothers. “Buried In the Sun” revisits the political commentary of “Black Honey” but with less radio rock and more Fugazi. Later, “Northern Lights” rides a jazzy piano progression that sounds like it was borrowed from Thelonious Monk. “Still Life” shifts from subdued post rock to palm-muted alt rock before launching into a heavy anthemic ending. “The Dreamer” has shades of mewithoutYou in the verses, with Dustin’s closest approach to spoken word vocals. “Robot Soft Exorcism” takes the “Heavy Radiohead” nickname seriously, dabbling with electronic drums and a mercurial song structure.
That’s not to say there are no shades of classic Thrice here. The singles “Scavengers” and “Summer Set Fire to the Rain” are instantly familiar, featuring the band’s trademark off-time riffage, and even some screamed vocals. “Dandelion Wine” feels a lot like the jazz balladry of the track “Beggars,” even as it stretches further into new territory. Even the most experimental tracks are grounded by Kensrue’s unmistakable voice, which gives far less ammunition to anyone who’s said they’re a butt rock band now thanks to the last couple albums. He often pulls back instead of pushing into his throaty growl, and his performance is stronger for it.
And then there’s the lyrics, which dig deeper into many familiar themes. He escapes from dystopian cities, mockingly cheers on the industrial military complex, finds truth beyond the guidelines put around him by authority figures. With the recent “Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” podcast putting a microscope to his old employer, it’s hard not draw some lines, whether he means them to be there or not.
Since Thrice returned from their hiatus, I have defended their most recent releases loudly and often. But I have to admit that those albums have been less rewarding and less consistent than their work before. Horizons/East might not be a flawless record, but it’s a much needed shot in the arm for one of the most varied and celebrated catalogs in the broader punk scene.
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