Products You May Like
Raleigh-based rock band Thirsty Curses released their titular album, Thirsty Curses, in November. In their own words, Thirsty Curses creates “rock’n’roll with a boisterous beer-swilling edge to it.” And to their credit, they know one thing about their sound: their songs are raucous. The band’s ten-track album features lead singer Wilson Getchell’s searing vocals alongside electric and acoustic guitars (Kelley Otwell and Getchell) and is underpinned by Clayton Herring on bass and James O’Keefe on drums. In terms of style, the album most prominently features elements of punk, rock, post-grunge, and alternative.
The album offers some solid moments: the second track “Smash-Hit” features a lovely grunge guitar intro supplemented by a bed of strummed electric guitar. “Racing Through the Daze” features a warm electric guitar riff from the onset, which is quickly accompanied by a second airy electric guitar providing a gentle counterpoint melody. What’s more, O’Keefe’s subdued drums on “Racing Through the Daze” complement the guitars well and creates a solid backbone to the track—as his rhythms tend to do across each song on the album. However, the point of vulnerability for the band lies in the vocals. In many cases, the instrumentation and backing elements provide a strong foundation for the track (such as in “G.D.M.N.T.,” and “VHS Release”), while the vocal performance, melodies, and lyrics leave the listener wishing for a little bit more. To use the aforementioned records as an example, “Smash-Hit” begins by establishing a mood of mellow contemplation on guitar, leading the listener to anticipate a string of thoughtful lyrics, not the actual verse: “here comes that truck it’s going to smash you!” Abrasive lyrical choices can work in certain instances, such as in 12 Stones’ “The Way I Feel,” a similar record to “Smash-Hit” in which singer Paul McCoy belts “I hate the way I feel tonight!” throughout the chorus. However, “Smash-Hit,” like many of the songs off the album, lacks some of the vitality in the vocal performance to create the sense of intensity and ardor that 12 Stones and so many other post-grunge bands exude on their records.
The fourth song on the album, “Slice of Paradise,” begins with another captivating guitar riff and features the chorus: “I’m so tired of wearing this disguise / I’m going to cut out the people and take my own advice … / I’m going to get myself a slice of paradise.” These lyrics encapsulate the feeling of this album: the band yearns to forge an identity for itself and drop all disguises, yet it is still searching for that sense of personal character. My hope is that in subsequent records the band favors a more guitar-driven sound. A sound that takes them away from the current style of vocals and towards a true originality: one they seem to be crafting on their instruments but haven’t fully realized in their final compositions. Once they play to their greatest strengths, I’m sure they can attain that elusive “slice of paradise.”
Written by Brennan White