Thrice Band • Page 363

thinking vocal slides ruined a country/western album of all things is very funny to me

 

I agree. It's stylistically correct in that genre. And I personally don't mind mixing that with his normal bluesy "clean vocal" technique. To each their own though I guess.

 

would we be having this conversation if it was another band? I get where everyone is coming from, but chase is obviously not the worst example of a fan voicing their opinion on social media imo

 

Yes.

 

I'm not a huge fan of Dustin's current vocal style, but also he can do whatever he wants. Maybe it's easier on his vocal cords.

 

well it’s really hard to have an actually conversation when you’re not even quote-replying to me

 

Gnash rips hard.

Desert dreaming is really weak, btw.

 

I didn’t know what a vocal slide was until today.

 

i mean, I have ALSO done things like saying congrats on their release and leaving purely positive comments on other posts Thrice has been making recently. It’s not like I’m bombarding their socials with negativity or only ever voicing critiques. I spent this morning sharing “Gnash” in multiple group messages and getting people hyped about it. I’m only in here discussing my critique of Dustin’s recent vocal trends because someone here tagged me about it

 

It's that song by the Goo Goo Dolls.

 

Dustin's voice is simultaneously beautiful and devastating. The song is incredible. Vinyl has been ordered. Now praying for some tour dates that take them somewhere near Seoul.

 

I’m all for being critical of creative decisions that you don’t like and wishing different decision were made. But, commenting that way on the artist’s own post or tagging them in it, etc., seems pretty clearly rude to me, lol. Write it in a review or make a petty comment on your own personal social media account or whatever, imo.

 

Anyways, that song rips. When I got to the end, I couldn’t believe a Thrice song in 2025 was doing that.

 

Yeah, bingo.

 

Gnash fucking rules, that’s all I’ve got!

 

What you all don’t know, thrice are chase’s favorite band, but he’s also harder on them then like any other band haha. Of course the band doesn’t know this when reading his comment. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, next time maybe just pair it with something more positive.

 

Imagine all the world is mad without a vocal slide!

 

Before you (or anyone else) takes the time to read this message, I want to request that you consider what voice you're hearing in your head while reading my comments, and try to imagine that you're reading a message from someone who genuinely means well, who has considered Thrice his favorite artist for over half of his life, who's supported this website for many years, and who is willing to learn and admit mistakes (as I've already done multiple times in this thread today). If we can't be offering each other this type of benefit of the doubt...then why engage in conversation to begin with?

So, it has always seemed to me that Thrice responds well to criticism. Even though I've always hated the "play Deadbolt" fans at shows, I loved that Thrice eventually played into the joke and started selling "Play Deadbolt" t-shirts. I also love the moment on the Anthology album where Riley yells out, "We're not a jukebox!" I would also argue that, on Horizons/East, Thrice were intentionally reacting to all the criticism they received on Palms; as best as I can tell, H/E represented an attempt to tackle some of the same ideas and themes from Palms, but while healthily responding to the pushback they'd received on what very well might be their most criticized album ever.

Now, I'm certainly NOT arguing that "Thrice responds to criticism well, so we should dish out as much as we want!" However, it sounds like you and I plainly disagree on whether there's ever a place to share critiques directly with bands. I do not believe that we should shield bands from all our critiques or concerns, and anyone who wants to put music out into the world regularly needs to develop thick skin to the fact that they'll be criticized for it and that they'll release new music that doesn't always connect with fans of the older stuff. Even I, as a newer artist with a MUCH small audience, have been forced to learn how to deal with seeing negative reviews from strangers or having fans of one album say they don't like the new album; but I try to learn from these criticisms, even if I disagree with them or even if they don't end up playing into what I make next.

And to clarify, my point here was never that I think Dustin's in the wrong for ever doing vocal slides, or that they are inherently bad, or that I am entitled to tell Thrice how their music can be better. My point (as poorly worded as it was) was genuinely wondering if Dustin was even aware that he was writing this technique into so many of his songs and vocal deliveries--as in, had it become so second-nature to Dustin that he wasn't totally cognizant of its prevalence? I think it's true for ALL songwriters that they should be careful not to over-rely on any one tool from their toolbox too often. But I never said that the slides were inherently bad or that removing them would inherently be better across the board. Someone earlier today brought up "Stumbling West" (which I think is the Thrice song with the most slides in it), and I love that song!

Lastly, I thought I would share a personal anecdote, in case anyone's wondering whether I'm totally shameless or heartless about this type of stuff. Back in 2020, I published a review of Acceptance's album Wild, Free, which was a major disappointment for me. I had mostly negative things to say about it, but I never really considered that the band might read my review. Well, the band did read it -- at least, one of the guitarists did, which I learned because he commented on my review. He was extremely kind and humble about receiving the negative review, but I still felt AWFUL about it, and I wished that I could go back in time and make the review nicer and more constructive. In all likelihood, him finding my review was probably just a blip on the radar that he'd soon forget about, but if my critiques had any lasting effects on the band, I can only hope that they'll have positive effects whenever the band gears up for LP4.

FYI, I deleted my Instagram comment 5+ hours ago. One thing I've learned for certain from this thread today is that my comment came across FAR ruder than I ever intended or realized. I'll wait until H/W releases, and if I think my critique is still worth being voiced after spending time with the album, I'll give ample thought about the proper forum and presentation for it.

 

Yeah, in that case, it might actually be a pretty good song.

 

I'm gonna be honest, I don't care one way or another about vocal slides. It's entitled to think your criticism means anything when it isn't an objectively bad quality and the artist chose to use one of the many tools in their toolkit. If you were reviewing the album, your feelings would be valid. Telling the artist they should have made a choice you'd rather they have made when they clearly made a different decision because they preferred things their way is entitled and weird. No offense, I just dont think your subjective preferences matter more than theirs on their own art lol

 

Can I have examples of Dustin's vocal slides? Not sure I understand what that's all about so this has been a confusing discussion

Wonder if that's how non-guitarists feel when people start getting all technical with time signatures, techniques and the likes lol

 

“maze” in verse 2 of “Gnash” or “I….was booooorn” at the start of “Stumbling West.” It’s slowly crawling up to a note, which can be cool in some contexts, but it also invites levels of clashing and discord because, sliding up to a note, the singer is sliding THROUGH sharps, flats, and notes that aren’t in the key of the song.

 

well, what you’re saying here is another reason why I’ve since deleted the Instagram comment that kicked off this whole debacle. like, EVEN IF Thrice specifically wanted my advice on ways to improve their music in the future, there’s nothing I could say that would make them go back and change a finished album. For me to comment about my hopes for H/W, an album that’s already done and on the presses, was simply an extra level of pointless.

and again, I’ve been consistent all day in this thread that I did not put very much thought behind how and when I wrote that comment. But I’ve clearly put in way TOO MUCH thought into this issue that’s been bugging me for years now, and I think it was the very fact that this annoyance was already boiling over that, when I finally chose to say something, it came out rashly and poorly.

 

Oh now I get it. See, I love that shit lol but I'm a the weirder the better kind of listener.

I'm all for artists doing whatever regardless of if it adheres to music rules or is conventional or not. I can see it being bothersome if it's overused, but Glash already has such a menacing atmosphere that this stylistic quirk fits perfectly to my ears.