Brooklyn-based punk trio THICK have released a new song ‘Mansplain’, which features on the band’s debut album ‘5 Years Behind’, out next week on Epitaph. The track is a blistering, brilliantly sarcastic takedown, bookended by a sound collage of massively infuriating comments from men (e.g., “Girl bands are really in right now,” “Here, let me help you carry your amp,” “Are those your boyfriend’s drums?”). “Those are all things that men have actually said to us or our friends at shows,” drummer and vocalist Shari Page points out.
Even in their most exasperated moments, THICK sustain a ferocious energy and untamed joy, ultimately turning every song into a wildly cathartic anthem. “A lot of these songs came from feeling stifled in silence, but then the song itself is an answer to that,” says Kate Black (vocals, bass, guitar). “It’s us saying, ‘I have my opinion, and I’m going to share it no matter what.’ Instead of keeping things all bottled up, it feels so much better to face everything head on, and just be really loud about it with your two best friends.”
‘5 Years Behind’ came to life at Studio G Brooklyn with producer/engineer Joel Hamilton (Iggy Pop, Jolie Holland). In a departure from their previous work, the band took a more spontaneous approach to the album-making process, sometimes completely reworking songs at the eleventh hour in order to channel the most immediate emotion into each track. “It was really important to us that the songs feel emotionally connected to our reality, so that it feels as natural as possible to play them,” notes Black.
THICK will be playing SXSW in March and are supporting Australian punk rock band The Chats on the road in North America this spring. For more information, visit https://thick.band/tour.
THICK are Nikki Sisti (guitar, vocals), Kate Black (bass, vocals, guitar), and Shari Page (drums, vocals).