Album Review: Thornhill’s “Bodies” – Spotlight Report
“So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” – Mary Shelley
The bravery of those who reveal their vulnerabilities cannot be understated. Choosing a pathway that exposes the very depths which most resonate with our true self is a terrifyingly liberating venture, and it is to this experience which THORNHILL speak in their tertiary studio album, BODIES.
Following the successes of 2022’s grand opera, Heroine, and 2019’s eminent debut LP, The Dark Pool, the Melbournians could be forgiven for continuing to bathe in the accolades that befell them, maintaining their incredibly curated aesthetic throughout the Butterfly’s next lifecycle.
Achieving so much over the past decade, that notion, quite simply, was never authentically them. Recognising both the splendour of their past chapters and the “weight of this careful construction”, BODIES endeavours (and succeeds) in capturing the essence and energy of “Thornhill right now”.
DIESEL’s raw open is definitively Thornhill, yet with an unprecedented gritty edge it foreshadows the necessity of ‘loosen(ing) your resolve’ for this listening experience. The “band at (their) most authentic and free”, we’re invited “to connect on (our) terms”, as chimes herald Revolver’s arrival. Interlacing an ever-present “emotion and intensity” with a demonstration of their heaviest work to date, the second track cocks and fires, putting BODIES on the board.
The first of four singles released over the course of the last 13 months, Silver Swarm epitomises “the sonic moodboard” Thornhill traverse with a sense of immediacy, careening between electronic beats, synthesised keys and Ethan McCann’s signature guitar distortion with pure synchronicity, dualities mastered in the aptly-titled Only Ever You.
Laden with unmistakably post-modern trademarks, ‘I can feel (it) linger’: a time gone by when this rock ballad would have soared to the height of music charts on the wings of Jacob Charlton’s serenade. Great romances rise and then fall into the wind of the DEFTONES-esque Rosemary infused interlude.
The hint or homage continues under their CMND/CTRL, TONGUES opening a three-track arc of previously released offerings. Epitomising Thornhill’s prowess, BODIES’ tracklist may have been intentionally “less about delivering a carefully constructed narrative and more about creating a visceral, open-ended experience”, yet the product placement of the single is so much more impactful in the body of work.
Seconding this, the ‘silver tongue killer’, Charlton, plays Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde for a while. Hitting a nerv that bleeds blissfully into the presupposed standalone Obsession, with brevity CRUSH demonstrates the breadth of the singer and the group; a new millennium infusion of trip-hop and R&B that should be an impossibility is entirely natural.
An evolution almost at its end, ‘you know I’m speechless’ at the way Thornhill have put themselves under the knife for this production. Dissecting every element, harvesting those which continue to represent and serve their unique artistry, this album is For Now. In literal and figurative perfect harmony, BODIES is an astounding creation.
