Album Review: Thrice - Horizons/East

Horizons/East is Thrice’s 11th studio album.

WORDS BY JAZMIN LEMUS

This Friday, September 17th, Orange County’s post-hardcore/rock legends, Thrice, will digitally release their 11th studio album, Horizons/East via Epitaph Records!

Right from the get go, I’m just going to say that Thrice has delivered once again. If you know me well, you would expect nothing less from me as they’re one of my favorite bands of all time. Maybe I’m being bias, but please stay with me for a minute. 

Even though it feels like Thrice just released Palms (2018), it also feels like that album was released years ago. I feel it’s safe to say that fans have been hungry for the next album. Honestly, I didn’t expect to hear one this year. For anyone who has been following the band throughout their career, whether you’ve been there from the beginning or you learned about them halfway through their existence, if you have kept up with their discography, you will hear bits and pieces from previous albums in their latest masterpiece, Horizons/East.

The album kicks off with “Color of the Sky”. At first listen, I felt chills down my spine. One minute in, the song reminds me a little bit of the intro to Radiohead’s “The National Anthem”. Instrumentally at least. As the song progresses, I’m also reminded of the Beggars (2009) era mixed in with upbeat songs by The National. So for anyone that likes that combination, it won’t be a bad thing. Speaking of Beggars, am I the only one that is reminded of the intro for “All The World Is Mad” when they hear “Scavengers”?

“Scavengers” is the second track off Horizons/East, which is also the first single we were gifted with in July. When I first heard this song, I couldn’t stop thinking about how it reminded me of the first track on Beggars. Towards the end of “Scavengers”, there’s a powerful crescendo in the last 30 or so seconds. Can you imagine hearing a crowd singing that at their shows this fall? I can’t wait.

Track 3 is “Buried in the Sun” and for anyone who likes Dustin’s vocals when he screams and sings, this song is for you. It’s heavy, but not early-Thrice heavy. Just the perfect combo for fans that enjoy Dustin’s clean vocals and screams. 

“Northern Lights” is track 4 and is another song that reminds me of Beggars. Early on in the song, the piano reminds me a tiny bit of the introduction to “Doublespeak”. This was also the first song on the album with lyrics that grabbed my attention on the first listen, “They could see a better way to build the world, where every hand is held and holding on” are the kind of words we need to hear right now. With the way things have been and what we’ve been through in the last few years, it feels like this song could be about any of those things. One of my favorite things about Thrice is that there is always room for interpretation when it comes to Dustin’s songwriting.

“Summer Set Fire to the Rain” is the last single the band released. This song is heavy and a perfect combo of screams and clean vocals. With this song, I was again left thinking and questioning about what’s going or why do we wait when Dustin sings “How long, how long holding true? How long, how long until the bloom? How long, how long holding true? How long, how long must we wait for you?” Whatever situation you may want to apply those lyrics to, they make you think, which for me, it’s something I’ve always done when it comes to their music.

Track 6, titled “Still Life”, starts off with only Ed doing his thing on bass. There are no specific moments in this song that remind me of just one song from the band’s previous work. It’s more like a mix of songs that I’m reminded of: “Circles” off Beggars and “Hurricane,” “The Widow,” and “The Long Defeat” off To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere (2016). Other fans might hear it. They might even be able to pinpoint to specific songs from The Alchemy Index (2007 and 2008).

“The Dreamer” will grab people’s attention lyrically or instrumentally or maybe both. I feel like musically, this song showcases the band’s maturity and how much they’ve grown. If you heard any song off Identity Crisis (2001) after listening to “The Dreamer” and you weren’t a fan of Thrice, you would probably think “oh, this must be the singer’s new band” or something along those lines. The song starts loud and while the band has changed their sound throughout their career (and have been great at it), one thing is consistent: the lyrics. Simple, yet, it can resonate with fans right from the beginning: “Speak your truth, speak your doubt” and later on we’re asked “Who is the dreamer? What is the dream?”. I might be calling this early, but this is probably my favorite song off the album. I’m genuinely excited for others to hear it because it’s a BANGER!

Following “The Dreamer” is “Robot Soft Exorcism”, which is the second single the band released. As we know, the song starts off kind of slow, kind of quiet. It slowly starts to build up leading into the chorus and it almost feels like a plea once it kicks in. Following “Robot Soft Exorcism” is “Dandelion Wine”.

“Dandelion Wine” is one of the slowest songs off the album. About halfway through the song, it gets loud and builds a crescendo. That built-up reminds me a little bit of…you guessed it…“Beggars” off of Beggars!

If you’re a fan of Arcade Fire and you know their early stuff, Funeral specifically, you may hear a little bit of their song, “Tunnels (Neighborhood #1)” in “Unitive/East”, the final track on Horizons/East. I’m referring specifically to the piano part. Just like in To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere, the album ends with a slower and simple song, musically and lyrically.

No matter what Thrice does, everything they do is gold. After every album release, I always ask, what will they do next? This album was much needed after the year and a half we’ve all had. Thank you, Thrice. Thrice forever.

You can pre-order the album HERE. Horizons/East is out digitally this Friday, September 17th and out physically on October 8th. 

WARNING: The music video for “Scavengers” has been identified by Epilepsy Action to potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.