Thrice - Palms (September 14, 2018) Album • Page 75

This song is more of what I thought Dustin and his. Either may have come up with. I may not like it as much as TBEITBN, but I’m excited for the album and won’t know until I have time to live with Palms.

 

I'm sorry, what?

 

the way i see it there's two different types of "great" production. the kind that's noticeable and you're like "wow, this sound is incredible" and there's a lot of production stuff going on that catches your ear immediately. and then there's the kind that's completely unassuming and more or less just steps out of the way and lets the band sound like the band. in my view anyway those are the two ways to have great production

 

Is there a thread for songs you use to test new headphones/speakers (i.e. songs with fantastic, intricate production)?

 

There definitely is more than one type of production. I guess if a song is good it just jumps out an graves you. Then upon further listens you can figure out the why’s, including good production recording.

Most people don’t know good production, but they know bad. I’ve had the chance to shoot with a bunch of famous producers, and they all work very differently. If the end result is good, you’ll know. The how they get there can be really interesting.

 

you could say... it slays...

 

After several listens to both I am loving the parallels with their older sounds. "The Grey" has Beggars and TBEITBN vibes while this song sort of sounds like a cross between the Water and Fire EPs. Both are very good and I am so excited for the rest of the album.

 

Yeah, I don't get why people say this is something Thrice has never done before. It's totally in their wheelhouse as they swapped the Rhodes piano for synth.

 

I love the 80s feel throughout "Only Us"

 

The song is pretty much stuck in my head, woke up with the chorus going through my mind, good sign.

 

Full first impression posted, for supporting members, on the main site:

Thrice - Palms • chorus.fm

(It includes more recent thoughts at the bottom as well.)

 

how blessed our the readers of chorus dot fm that they get a first impressions post from you and a review from me next month with hopefully a thrice-centric podcast eh eh eh?

 

very blessed, much blessed, very much super thrice blessed.

 

After listening to this song a few more times, I still really like it, but I do have a minor gripe. The chorus kind of just feels like a pre-chorus to me. It feels like it's building up to something, only to go into the next verse and doesn't have much of a hook to me?

I still really enjoy the song regardless and the production sounds fantastic- those drums sound sooo good in my car.

 

The first one definitely feels like a pre-chorus. Then, they extend the second one to feel a bit different (and a little more chorus-y right before the bridge). However, the third one feels the most chorus-y since it's markedly different from the first two arrangements. Everybody's jamming all out versus the restraint of the first two. So, the song intentionally holds back for a bigger conclusion which is a Thrice staple.

 

Oh yeah I agree with all of that, but I still feel like even by the last chorus, it still doesn't feel very much like one for me. Feels like a solid outtro, for sure, but idk, that's just me. Still dig the song, but it's not one of their catchiest, and that's totally fine

 

My only issue with the song is how quickly the final chorus peters out. It feels like it just barely gets going and then stops.

 

Definitely could've been longer, especially since the final chorus was the best arrangement of the "chorus." Heck, you could've gone back to the heavy bridge part too a la 'Hurricane.' But, it is what it is.

 

Very good write-up Jason! As someone who feels that “Only One” is their favorite Thrice song in a long time, reading that you believe it to be the strongest on the album doesn’t surprise me, and the rest of your track descriptions have me very excited.

 

I've never really been that critical of Thrice during any album cycle (aside from the usual B-side snubs). I've certainly never been critical of Thrice's song structures. And yet, the first two singles off Palms have led to me being critical of their respective structures. I'm having a really tough time reconciling this when it's never been an issue in the past. I'm just talking through this so I can let go of it prior to release. #MidnightThoughts #PleaseDontHurtMe #Insomnia #28MoreDays

 

Whenever I listen to Thrice on YouTube, they try to shove this 'Highly Suspect' band down my throat. Their algorithm just won't take a hint. #MidnightThoughts

 

"only us" is fucking amazing

 

you could have the band so hyped up in your mind that they will never be able to meet your expectations lol. These song structures are fine, they do the songs good justice and they seem to feel natural. Not every song needs to be the greatest of all time, they can just write solid rock songs and it still be enjoyable and high quality. Let's take a look at some specs about these songs.

Vocals - I think Dustin sounds fantastic on both songs. The dryness in the vocal mix is fantastic. I think it allows us to really hear Dustin's voice at what may be the strongest point of his career as a vocalist.

Guitars- Yes, the guitars are missing mostly from the first half of this song.. but I think that is sort of the point.. Why are they buried there? So that when they come in after the second chorus, the song smacks you in the face. I love the riff on The Grey and have full confidence this album will be rifftastic.

Drums - the percussion on both tracks is awesome, Riley just keeps getting better and better.

Bass - HOLY the bass tone. THAT IS HOW YOU USE BASS OVERDRIVE, both songs have this similar driving bass tone where the bass really cuts but doesn't muddy up the mix. The bass work in the chorus of The Grey is absolutely stellar.

Synths/keys- Only Us uses synths really well to create a mood. But when you listen to the notes that the synth is playing it actually sounds very much like a thrice song to me.

Anyway, hope this helps. probably doesn't

 

I fully agree, esp on these points. My only issue that I sorta have is it doesn't sound like an album opener, but as I said before I'll wait to hear the album more.