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24. To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere - Thrice (2016)

Rock

After a lengthy hiatus, Thrice were seemingly compelled to reunite by a maddening social and political landscape. The band’s first album in five years, To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere is a scathing indictment of some of the most questionable issues at the forefront of the American discourse, including drone strikes, whistleblowers and endless wars. The album’s title, a quote from Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger, is repurposed as a commentary on the increasingly pervasive influence of social media on us all. 

One of the few post-punk/emo era bands that carved out a new space for themselves after that fad fizzled, Thrice has always been committed to reinvention and pushing their limits. That is true to a degree on TBEITBN, though there’s less experimentation here than on previous efforts. The most novel aspect of the album is the subject material of Dustin Kensrue’s lyrics. Politically charged songs “Blood on the Sand” and “Death from Above” find Kensrue seemingly unable to bite his tongue any longer with regard to what he perceives as indefensible practices of war-mongering and drone bombing. While political material can often be unpalatable, especially from a group that hasn’t made a habit of indulging it, the album conveys more a sense of general exasperation with the situation here than any sort of self-righteousness or activist mentalities. But while it’s often the centerpiece, the material doesn’t detract from the overall effectiveness of the album. 

*image; cover art for the album To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere by Thrice