Since the explosive launch of their debut album Welcome to Thod Country in 2010, unsigned Melbourne band The Thod have been busy at work, having just released their new EP, Album Précis.
The six-track CD, produced in the lead up to their next album, is allegedly of the “cultish goon-bag rock and roll” variety. But the eclectic genre certainly hasn’t stopped their Internet following from expanding, nor has it dispelled the crowds The Thod have played to at local hotspots such as St Kilda’s The Espy and Pony on Little Collins Street, Melbourne.
Album Précis kicks off with ‘I’ve Seen the Cattle Cars’, a nostalgic number that blends electric guitar riffs with the subtle overtone one finds in most country songs and somehow manages to pull it off. Although slightly edgier and more upbeat, ‘Another Empire’ is driven by the same sentiment of despair and wistfulness.
‘Games’, by far my favourite on the EP, kicks the tempo up. The lively metallic twang of the guitars, backed up by the drums and the occasional jingle of the tambourine, will have you tapping your foot and bopping your head up and down along with the music in no time. It has a quality to it that screams summer and surf and makes for excellent mixtape material.
Of course, no rock and roll album – or cultish goon-bag rock and roll album, in the case of The Thod – is complete without a song or two about rebellion. ‘Don’t Care If I Die’ takes the listener’s focus away from the vocals and toward the warble of the harmonica instead. Need an angry ditty to crank the volume up on and tune everyone else out? Look no further.
The Thod’s latest offering manages to jam-pack a little bit of everything into no less than six tracks. But the weird thing is it works. Although it has that unmistakeable indie flavour to it, Album Précis is refreshingly different and captures the rawness of life’s ups and downs effortlessly in its songwriting.
So, whether you’re cruising down the coast with your windows rolled down, unwinding on a lazy Sunday afternoon or simply looking for something new to whip the old air guitar out to, this is the CD for you. The surfy, bluesy, rock-and-roll fusion of sounds encapsulated by the Thod is definitely something to watch out for. Their new album There is still time, brother will be launching next month.
To listen to and learn more about The Thod, check out www.thodcountry.net
