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Hi Sorry State readers! How is everyone doing? Things are good on my end. I can’t really complain. I feel like I need some more introductory content that isn’t weather-related. Ya know, talking about the passage of time is also pretty popular. So like… can you believe we’re already halfway through April? Crazy, right?
So my staff pick is the self-titled debut record by the Philly phenoms, Dark Thoughts. Let me preface this by saying that I sadly do not have this record. Come to find out, it’s also not very easy to get (wink wink, nudge nudge). That’s why you’re seeing a generic stock photo. Sigh. Anyways, I’ve been listening to this band a LOT. This particular album is totally infectious.
I’ve only known of their existence for maybe six months? They popped up on my Spotify and I was like, wow this is really good. So I started playing their music at work and it was funny because at separate times, each of my esteemed colleagues said something like “oh you’re listening to Dark Thoughts?” which would subsequently be followed with a string of praise for the band. So yeah, pretty much everyone here already likes and literally knows the band, and I’m just late to the game.
I’ve listened to all three of their LPs, but I play the first one the most. It’s 20 minutes of the catchiest shit. I hate to use a Ramones comparison because it feels like a lazy cop out. But, it is the right band to reference to give a basic description of the type of punk this is. It’s that really catchy, boppy, fun, easy to sing-a-long with kind of punk. But it has a lot of depth.
I know a lot of bands go for that fun and simple straightforward kind of punk that the Ramones are known for, but a lot of them just don’t get their hooks into you. On the contrary, Dark Thoughts makes you feel something. I think that it you can accomplish that, any other measure of what’s good and what sucks doesn’t really matter anymore.
With all that said, I can’t stress enough this band sounds like they should be way bigger and more well known than they are. That’s the first thing that came to mind after listening to just a few songs. They really have their shit together and the songwriting is impressive. They play super tight and fast-paced from start to finish, often exceeding the pace of the track before it. Jim’s vocals are perfect for the music. They aren’t overdone or obnoxious, nor are they too understated.
There are zero duds on this album. Seriously, every track could be a single. But if I had to choose, my favorites are Identity Crisis, No More Soul, Where Did You Go, and Nothin to Do. I’m all for short and sweet tracks, but I wouldn’t be mad if their songs were a little longer. They’re that good. If their goal was to leave you wanting more, then mission accomplished.
I will leave a link to Spotify if you want to check out this album, but don’t sleep on their other two full lengths. They have a strong catalogue and I hope they add to it soon!
Thank you for reading! Until next time!
-Angela
https://open.spotify.com/album/6B7ej8MpaYYN5Z8jeLmgOj?si=jQ2KW5AARMKFU85hwV8GgA