This New York trio have a lot to get off their chest, and they’ve mastered how to turn their truths into inviting and driving punk songs. Happy Now is THICK’s second full-length release and this time it goes deeper into a whole range of emotions. They’ve cranked the overdrive and are fighting through the lyrics to get across the message, “it’s okay not to be okay.”
The first track of an album is important to get right. You’ve got to introduce a song that will let the listener know exactly what they’re in for. Happy Now’s opener, ‘Happiness’, does this perfectly: a nice bit of feedback with a catchy guitar riff and loud lyrics – it brings your imagination to a dark music venue, making you want to get up and mosh, wherever you are.
The first single, ‘Loser’, accompanied by a humorous music video, truly represents the LP’s theme of reclaiming your insecurities. The lyrics ‘I’ll always be a loser,’ is something people may feel, but not want to shout out loud. THICK encourages their audience to embrace imperfection, with drummer Shari Page states in the band’s bio: “Especially in music, it’s so easy to feel like a loser and a fuck-up. We want people to know that it’s okay to mess up.”
The album isn’t completely negative, though. The great thing about punk music is it provides a space to shout in anger or frustration, while also being able to have fun with it. THICK liberates the listener by relating to their angst, while maintaining an optimistic charm. This sound is reminiscent of classic American indie bands like Yuck, with strong female voices of more contemporary British punk, like Big Joanie.
Towards the end of the album the energy is brought back down slightly to allow the moshers to breathe. Penultimate track ‘Disappear’ is a personal story. Vocalist and guitarist Nikki Sisti says she brings the inspiration of ‘loving someone who gets lost in their own head, and how painful that can be’ straight from her very own journal. The power is then reestablished with an awesomely loud final track ‘Something Went Wrong’, to leave you on a high note.
Overall, Happy Now is a real head-banger. The band knows who they are and what they want to say. We look forward to what their next project will bring.
Haiku:
Oh, you’re Happy Now?
Well get in that mosh pit, dude
Let’s rock the fuck out!
The new album from THICK is out on Friday, 19th August via Epitaph Records. Buy that shit on vinyl here, and be sure to stream it wherever you enjoy your music.
