The Thermals – We Disappear
- Written by Ashley Stein
A self-proclaimed album by The Thermals about technology, love and of course death, We Disappear explores our obsession with all three subjects in a candid yet emotionally fuelled fashion.
Tackling our addiction to social media, the opening track, 'Into The Code', instantly catches your attention with a contrasting riff; the balance of major and minor notes creates a unique sound that creates the backbone of this album. An almost haunting song, with a static-ridden intro and outro and lyrics like:
“Our secrets they will last, they will not disappear” leaves you deep in thought about how dependent we have become on social networking.
This theme is continued on 'The Great Dying', a 45 second post-rock intro sets the scene for lyrics to drop a reality check on us all; death is inevitable and no amount of posthumous Twitter accounts will be able to retain our digital souls when the world eventually implodes and the internet along with it. There is NOT an app for that.
The severity of these lyrics suggests that this is more than just another song about the internet’s effect on our ability to communicate with the each other and face the harsh truths about the world around us. You get a sense that there’s a deep-seeded reason behind the hate of online life, most likely based around the heart break oozing from the bands other tracks.
This first song in this vain is 'My Heart Went Cold', a brilliantly sad track about the realisation that you are at fault for the destruction of a relationship. “I couldn't keep you warm…My heart got cold”. That line hits you right in your chest with such a perfect, relatable depiction of loss and regret. Another emotional tidal wave is 'If We Don’t Die Today'. The Ataris style guitar gets you hooked in right before you get slammed with line after line of heart-wrenching, post-break up take downs.
An oasis within the midst of all the sad yet catchy tracks is the rather uplifting 'Hey You'. Still with the melancholy content but up on the beat, the simpleness of this song is what makes it so great. A basic riff with steady drums and subtle backing vocals, 'Hey You' flows along steadily yet manages to retain an undertone of anger strong enough to keep you interested; a trait fitting of The Thermals themselves.
We Disappear ends as it begins on 'Years In A Day'. A long static intro creating a vast, apocalyptic scene and a hanging feeling of utter sadness: “There are no words left to say…Years in a day”. A beautifully written tribute to the subjects that it centres on, this album is well worth your time, money and tears.