The album artwork for Major/Minor, the new album by Thrice.
I have recently become re-enamored with the band Thrice. Finding the incredible song “Silver Wings” led to listening to The Alchemy Index, which led to listening to The Artist In The Ambulance. And Vheissu. And Identity Crisis. You get my point.
So it is fitting that today marks the release of Thrice’s newest album, Major/Minor. Simply put, Thrice continues to impress with their music.
My first introduction to Thrice was with their song “T&C.” Loud. Dynamic. Aggressive vocals and crazy guitar solos. It’s a great song, but it was also a song written by a young band. The four-man band has come a long way in its 13 years together, and their new album drips with maturity.
Major/Minor features a much drier sound with less distorted guitar tones and crisper drums. The album explores a wide variety of sounds, lending to an interesting and engaging listening experience. Dustin Kensrue’s signature vocals are still easily recognizable, but they too have changed. The lead singer now has more control over his voice and is putting it to excellent use. The band’s song structures are also more mature. Instead of a wall of sound, Thrice’s songs have more movement. Songs build up and pull back seamlessly. Take a listen to “Yellow Belly,” the opening track from Major/Minor:
After releasing The Artist In The Ambulance, Thrice made a radical change in musical direction. Vheissu featured much more experimental sounds and melodies that are especially highlighted in “Atlantic” and “Red Sky.” The experimentation continued in The Alchemy Index with both the “Water” and the “Air” volumes consisting of many similar songs.
Major/Minor opens with some heavier songs that reach back to their roots of hard rock music, but their mature sound allows the album to transition into the softer, more experimental songs towards the end of the album. Although it was the louder material that attracted me to the band, their slower songs are some of the most beautiful songs that in my library. The album closes with Teppei Teranishi’s beautiful guitar melodies and Kensrue’s lyrical artwork in “Disarmed.”
Major/Minor is out today and is worth listening to whether you are a Thrice fan or not. It has something in it for everyone.
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