Thrice have marked more than two decades of boundary-pushing post-hardcore with the release of their twelfth studio album, Horizons/West, out now through Epitaph Records. The record serves as the companion piece to 2021’s Horizons/East, bringing the band’s two-part conceptual vision full circle.
The Orange County band featuring Dustin Kensrue (vocals, guitar), Teppei Teranishi (guitar), Eddie Breckenridge (bass), and Riley Breckenridge (drums), continue to occupy a rare space in modern rock where intensity, experimentation, and introspection collide. Horizons/West is being praised as a collection that captures “a grab bag of every Thrice era to date” (The Hollywood Reporter), a summation of their career-long refusal to remain in one place sonically.
Frontman Dustin Kensrue says the album feels like a special milestone in their long-running journey.
“Every time we make a new album, we give it everything we have,” he explains. “We immerse ourselves fully in writing and recording, we have a blast, we pull our hair out a bit, and we come through it all with something we are really proud of. But sometimes you stumble into something special-I think we all feel that with this record.”
Thrice first came to attention in the late ’90s, emerging from the Californian punk and hardcore scene with a more progressive approach than many of their peers. Their 2001 debut Identity Crisis was raw and urgent, but it was 2002’s The Illusion of Safety that established them as a formidable new voice. The following year, The Artist in the Ambulance propelled Thrice into the global spotlight with tracks such as “All That’s Left” and “Stare at the Sun,” blending post-hardcore intensity with melody and introspection.
Rather than rest on success, Thrice embarked on an ambitious concept project with the four-part The Alchemy Index (2007-08), where each release explored one of the natural elements – Fire, Water, Air, and Earth – through different sonic palettes. This willingness to take creative risks defined their reputation as innovators.
After a brief hiatus in 2012, the band returned energised, signing with Epitaph Records for 2018’s Palms. Their influence can be traced across a generation of bands who cite them as pioneers in combining hardcore grit with progressive exploration.
Horizons/West continues the exploration begun with Horizons/East but stands firmly as its own body of work.
Lyrically, the album grapples with the disquiet of modern life – themes of technological unease, personal identity, societal manipulation, and spiritual searching. Musically, it ranges from towering guitar anthems to ambient, layered soundscapes, underscoring the depth and diversity of the band’s artistry.
As Kensrue puts it, “Sometimes you stumble into something special. I think we all feel that with this record.”
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