THICK’s been laying low, at least from an outside point of view, for the last couple of months after their signing with Epitaph. Last month at Rough Trade, they threw it all down like no time at all had passed. If it’s any sign of what’s to come, I can’t fucking wait to see what comes along with 5 Years Behind, out tomorrow.
As I approach my 30s still trying to understand how to get everything together, I really hear you on this record. I don’t know if I’ll ever not feel 5 years behind. Do you still feel like you’re 5 years behind? Do you feel like you’ll ever “catch up”?
Yes! We always feel five years behind. It’s different for each of us, it can be in terms of finances, music or lifestyles. We all feel like late bloomers. Nikki and Kate both started playing music “late” compared to a lot of our friends. We don’t think there is such a thing as “catching up,” instead our goal is to be more appreciative of the present moment.
When will you know you’ve caught up?
We’ll never know, because there isn’t really such a thing as being behind. It’s pressure we put on ourselves, a constant battle of trying to break out of the box we build for ourselves.
What’s age to you? Do you feel your age? Do you act your age? Do you want to act your age?
What is age?! Especially in New York City, age becomes somewhat irrelevant. People associate life stages with certain ages and expect you to act accordingly, but aging should be about growth and being happy with where you’re at.
What are some of your coping mechanisms for when you can’t take control of time or keep your feet on the ground?
It’s important to surround yourself with supportive people. Our band practices are like mini therapy sessions, we often spend an hour talking before we start playing. Nikki’s a social worker, so we actually talk a lot about coping mechanisms. It’s important to notice, catch, and challenge your own thoughts and try to banish negative self-talk. An Uber driver once said, “Negativity is like a weed, it doesn’t require effort to grow. A garden though, needs work, patience and someone to tend to it.” We try to remind ourselves that sometimes hard feelings are going to be there and that’s ok.
I like how “Your Mom” kind of bookends the same idea of being behind, but with the pressure coming from someone else instead of yourself. Who’s mom is this about? Do you take that kind of pressure to heart?
It’s a representation of all moms, parents, and people who try to break you down by forcing you into their expectations. We try not to take it to heart (read above coping mechanisms). Plus, sometimes external negativity can be a motivating factor for us to kick some ass.
Does internal or external pressure affect you more deeply, and how so?
Kate: My barometer is almost entirely internal, which is good and bad. It’s easier to let some stuff slide, but it’s also harder to break out of a negative spiral, because no amount of external input will alter what’s going on in my head.
Shari: It’s such a mixture of both. It depends on my day haha. My motto: you can’t control the weather, but you can listen to The Weather Report.
Nicole: I’m 70% external 30% internal lolll. I’ve gotten really good at battling my inner self but still struggle with caring too much about the outside world
This record kind of, in a way, reminds me of everything that got me excited about All Killer No Filler when it came out… which from me is a huge compliment, but does that offend you or make you happy or neither? Why?
Haha we love Sum 41! Some of us might prefer Enema of the State (cough*Nikki*cough), but we’re happy with All Killer No Filler. We all grew up on that style of music so it’s definitely influenced the way we write #generationmyspace.
What bands did you draw from while writing this album, if any?
None directly. We each have slightly different influences, so it ends up a mish-mash of styles from roughly the same era. When we’re writing, we end up asking ourselves whether a new song “feels” like a THICK song instead of whether it sounds like one. It’s hard to explain, but people who know us know what a THICK song feels like.
What compartments within yourself did you draw from while writing this album?
Depression, anxiety, everything on a poster from a Health Class… with a hopeful spin.
You’ve had a lull in shows since signing to Epitaph and taking this amazing step up. How does it feel to not have that energy as a band? What have you been doing with your time as a band and as individuals during this time?
It is so hard not to play, we love playing shows! We’re transitioning from playing a ton of local shows to touring more, which is exciting. We thought we’d have more downtime, but instead we’ve been super busy with recording, music videos, artwork, writing new songs… There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes.
How important is it for a band to be friends with each other? Is it possible to be too close?
We’re lucky, because we’re all good friends. It makes practice more fun and helps when you’re on the road. It’s hard to imagine it any other way! We’ve all cried and yelled at each other, but we always work through it from a place of mutual caring and respect.
What’s a time or a story that perfectly encapsulates how you feel about each other?
We were in Portland and ate a bunch of edibles and Devon ordered way too much fried food. We made Shari drive home, because she’s the only one who ever really smokes, and Nicole was confidently giving all the wrong directions. Shari knew it was wrong and didn’t point it out because she wanted to be a supportive friend, and Kate waited until the third wrong turn to correct the issue. We were all dying laughing.
Where would you be without each other?
Bored.
What’s next? What are you looking forward to the most?
TOURING!!!!! We’re excited to play in front of new crowds outside of Brooklyn and looking forward to releasing our first full length.
Listen to 5 Years behind tomorrow, out on Epitaph. Follow THICK here and listen here.
