The Tragic Thrills have crafted a self-titled album that proves that this new band is here to stay.
Comprised of former members of Allstar Weekend, The Tragic Thrills ensures that the listener will never confuse its music with that of Allstar. "The Tragic Thrills" ditches the pop hooks of the group's musical past and instead explores Mumford & Sons-esque instrumentation and stomping folk beats.
Released Oct. 22, "The Tragic Thrills" kicks off with “Afterthoughts,” in which singer Zachary Porter paints a melancholy picture of lost love.
The album continues with the rollicking “Crazy,” where Porter commiserates over his lover’s insanity. Porter's vocals are what truly makes this album worthy of repeated listens. With this self-titled record, Porter has given himself room to explore his voice, and it shows as he growls his way through “Crazy” and croons “Alive.”
Something that clearly shows the band’s departure from its squeaky-clean pop roots is the rather obvious addition of four-letter words. While this may seem a bit contrived at first, it quickly becomes clear that this group has found themselves.
"Creeps and Strangers" shows the album's crystal-clear indie rock vibe, while "Gospel," one of the strongest tracks on the album, rightfully starts off with a church organ before launching into a bouncy acoustic-guitar based tune.
Overall, the album flows from one song to the next as it's backed by the solid instrumental talent of Michael Martinez, Brent Schneiders and Cameron Quiseng ... and nothing feels like filler.
The band members clearly spent a significant amount of time finding themselves to get to this point in their careers, and the results are impressive. While the indie vibe of the album is a bit unexpected upon first listen, it is refreshing to hear this group of men try a genre that they enjoy and evident that Porter’s vocals have grown stronger over time.
While the lyrics of the album are simplistic at times, Porter makes them sound sweetly elegant and entirely relatable. The members of The Tragic Thrills may not be newcomers to music, but this record is solid proof that this new venture has gone the distance.
The Tragic Thrills will be playing at The Nile Theater on Dec. 7 with Night Riots, Kyle Nass and The Gallery.
Reach the reporter at okhiel@asu.edu
