Thursday have returned with their first album since 2009’s Common Existence but a lot can happen in 2 years. Album sales haven’t graced these ’emo’ bands in recent years and fellow bands like ‘Fall Out Boy’ and ‘Jimmy Eat World’ are no longer the commercial forces that they once were.
They remain in our hearts, in our ears and in our heads due to dedicated fan bases, constant hectic touring schedules and musical experimentation.
Bands like this have to move with the times and Thursday have never struggled to experiment with different sounds to set them apart from the crowded circuit.
Their experimentation was initially apparent on 2006’s ‘A City By The Light Divided’ with synth heavy tracks like “Running From The Rain’ and instrumental tracks like “Arc-Lamps, Signal Flares, a Shower of White (The Light)”.
No Devoluciòn harks back to this more experimental phase from the outset with some subdued, atmospheric melodies. Lyrically, the start of the album is really dark and may not amuse the hardcore metal fans but will please fans of Thursday’s progressive nature.
It will be really interesting to see this album played live, I imagine it will feel a lot heavier than on the record.
The album gathers pace with the generally uplifting ‘Sparks Against The Sun’ and then with no warning we see how easily the ‘Emo’ tag gets slapped on bands like Thursday with the almost accapella ‘Empty Glass’, which begins with:
“I lost my wedding ring down the kitchen sink
Now it’s glimmering somewhere far away
And I’m sitting here with an empty glass
Waiting for the day to swallow me whole
I’m holding on to nothing”
The hardcore fans get their kicks as well in the form of ‘Open Quotes’, and ‘Past and Future Ruins’.
It’s true to say that as an album, it pleases all types of Thursday fan while it may not appeal to a wider audience, that isn’t the aim of bands like this. As long as the faithful keep buying the album in order to keep these cult bands in business, Thursday and others will continue to push boundaries.
No Devoluciòn is definitely boundary pushing in a genre that needs to be refreshed.
Buy it here:
