Thrice

Thrice is an experimental rock band from Irvine, California. The band’s lineup consists of Dustin Kensrue (lead vocals, guitar), Teppei Teranishi (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals), Edward “Eddie” Breckenridge (bass, keyboard, backing vocals), and Riley Breckenridge (drums). All four members have been a part of the band since it was formed, and they have never added or lost a member. They are known for their constant stylistic evolution—every album sounds significantly different from the last, and they have explored genres ranging from hardcore to folk.

Dustin and Teppei were high school friends who played for awhile in a band called Chapter 11. In 1998 they recruited Teppei’s skate park friend, Eddie, to play bass in a new band, and his older brother Riley to play drums. “Thrice” was originally an inside joke hastily chosen as the band’s name before their first show. However, the band came to be associated with the name and so they decided to keep it.

After releasing a self-promoted EP in 1999 entitled First Impressions, the band recorded its first full-length album, Identity Crisis (2000), with Greenflag Records. It received some local attention and led to the release of their second album, The Illusion of Safety (2002). This release garnered more attention, and the band began touring extensively. In 2003 Thrice made its debut with Island Records, The Artist in the Ambulance—viewed by many fans as the band’s best album.

These first three releases were greatly influenced by punk, hardcore, and metal, earning the band a reputation for being fast and heavy. However, 2005’s Vheissu was a significant departure from this early sound. While it still featured elements of metal and hardcore music, it also incorporated a variety of new sounds—strings, piano, acoustic guitar, and electronic instrumentation all come into play on various tracks. The Alchemy Index, a four-part concept album released in 2007 and 2008 on Vagrant Records, was even more unique. Each disc was based on one of the four elements (fire, water, air, and earth), and the lyrics and music reflected this. This variety demonstrated the band’s musical range well, as each section is completely different from the rest and range from acoustic folk (earth) to metal (fire).

Thrice’s last two albums, 2009’s Beggars and 2011’s Major/Minor, were released on Vagrant to excellent reviews. While their sound is still highly energetic, the hardcore influences of the band’s early days appear to have been almost completely phased out. After the release of Major/Minor, it was announced that the band would be going on hiatus for an unspecified amount of time. However, it has been made clear that they are not breaking up.

Thrice is unique in that two of the members (Kensrue and Teranishi) are devout and open Christians, while the other two appear to possess no definite religious beliefs. Because Kensrue is the lyricist, the band’s songs frequently incorporate Christian themes (though this is usually done subtly and in a way that can be interpreted otherwise if the listener so desires), but due to their mixed membership they have largely avoided the Christian Rock stigma.

Since the release of their first album, Thrice has donated a percentage of their proceeds to a charity organization of their choice.

Thrice provides examples of the following tropes:

Album Title Drop: They're a bit back and forth with this. Identity Crisis, The Artist in the Ambulance, and Beggars are all song titles, while The Illusion of Safety, Vheissu, The Alchemy Index, and Major/Minor are not. However, The Illusion of Safety does take its name from an in-album lyric.
America Saves the Day: Subverted frequently on The Artist in the Ambulance. By the end of the album there's little doubt as to how Kensrue feels about America's activity in the Middle East.
- "The Sky Is Falling" also expresses disdain for this trope.
Call Back: "Anthology" is almost entirely made up of lyrics from other Thrice songs.
Cover Version: They've recorded several, including "Send Me an Angel" by Real Life, "Seeing Red" by Minor Threat, "Eleanor Rigby" and "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles, and "The Earth Isn't Humming" by Frodus. "The Earth Isn't Humming" is the only one featured on an actual studio LP, though.
Distinct Double Album: The Alchemy Index is either a double album or a quadruple album, depending on how you look at it. Each disc is dedicated to a different aspect of their sound: "Fire" is heavy rock, "Water" is ambient electronica, "Earth" is more acoustic and bluesy, and "Air" is, well a little bit of everything.
Genius Bonus: The closing song on each disc of The Alchemy Index is actually a sonnet. Also see the literary allusions below.
Government Conspiracy: "Broken Lungs" alludes to 9/11 being an inside job.
Gratuitous Panning: Used to good effect in "The Messenger."
Literary Allusion Title: Kensrue is a reader, and makes frequent literary references in his lyrics. Vheissu takes its name from Thomas Pynchon's novel V., a book the whole band has read. The songs "That Hideous Strength" and "The Abolition of Man" are both named for CS Lewis books (Kensrue is an avid Lewis fan). "The Red Death" is named for Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." "Doublespeak" is a reference to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. "Moving Mountains" and "Image of the Invisible" are both titles based on phrases found in the Bible.
Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: They range from about a 7 or 8 all the way down to 1. Sometimes within the same album.
New Sound Album: Pretty much all of them. Thrice is known for this. It is sometimes a source of tension between fans who like the band's constant evolution and those who just want them to play their old stuff.
Not Christian Rock: An interesting example. Two of the members (including the lyricist) are devout Christians, and two are not. Though their lyrics are usually based at least partially in Christian beliefs, they're usually able to avoid the Christian Rock label. This is fine with all of them: the Christian members want to appeal to a larger audience, and the others, obviously, want nothing to do with the Christian music market.
Ominous Music Box Tune: "Music Box, obviously.
The Philosopher: Kensrue has stated an interest in going back to school to study philosophy. Philosophical concepts are mentioned in his lyrics fairly frequently. Specific philosophers are even name-dropped in "So Strange I Remember You" and "Digital Sea." (Nietzsche and Descartes respectively, though it should be noted that neither is mentioned in a positive light--to be expected, given their views.)
Precision F-Strike: The only swear word found in any Thrice song is in "Don't Tell And We Won't Ask" on The Artist in the Ambulance, and it's nothing too serious. The line is "If you're a smart kid, you'll stay the hell away from love."
Signature Song: It has become a sort of running joke amongst fans that someone will shout out a request for the band to play "Deadbolt" at every show. Considering "Deadbolt" is from the band's second album, this behavior is generally viewed by said fans as rather annoying.
Uncommon Time: They do this a lot.