by David Wilikofsky
I listen to a lot of music. It’s rare that an album genuinely surprises me, but Thirdface manage to do just that on their debut album. Opener “Customary” sounds like a fairly straightforward hardcore track, as do the opening moments of the following one. But then things start to get interesting. “Local”, the album’s second track, almost grinds to a halt near its midpoint, leaving only buzzing feedback in its wake. The respite is short lived, as the band soon locks back in and blasts through the remainder of the song. It may be a small moment, but it immediately knocked me off balance. At that point I knew the album was going to be interesting.
Thirdface make music that’s hard to get a handle on. Maybe it’s fair to call them a hardcore band, but if so they’re one of the more distinctive and experimental ones I’ve encountered. I personally think the best adjective to use is heavy. Any given track is filled with sludgy metal riffs and breakneck hardcore beats. Most tracks bounce between the two, shifting tempo and tune often and with ease (see “Grasping At The Root” if you’re looking for an example, which manages to cram three or four songs-worth of ideas into two minutes). Even the quieter, slower moments have a heaviness about them; “Interlude”, which comes towards the end of the album, builds an eerie, haunted atmosphere that feels as aggressive as the fastest riffs here.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing a lot of baking lately, but I can’t help but think about browned butter as a metaphor for this album. Butter is great on its own, but browning it creates new depths of flavor. Similarly, there are plenty of simple pleasures to be had while listening to Do It With A Smile. As tracks like “Chosen” evidence, the band can do charging melody as well as they do knotty composition. They also exude infectious energy throughout; at times you can literally feel the pit forming around you. But all the ideas and experimentation layered into this music create an end product that feels richer and more sophisticated than most music in this vein. They’ve made quite an impression with their debut album; I can’t wait to see where they go next.