In 2000, Thrice signed with Sub City Records and released two LP's. The first, Identity Crisis (2000), only received 1.5 stars in the AMG review and little buzz. The second, The Illusion of Safety (2002), was widely acclaimed and received attention from major record labels. Even though Thrice's music has always included metal influences, The Illusion of Safety contained a heavier metalcore sound. The album was recorded in Beltsville, Maryland and the track The Beltsville Crucible reflects this.
In 2003 Thrice signed up with Island Records and released The Artist in the Ambulance, which featured more metal oriented songs while keeping true to their hardcore influences. In 2005 a DVD outlining their entire career to date was released under the title If We Could Only See Us Now. It included a CD with live tracks from the Apple Store and various b-sides.
Thrice released their fourth full-length album, Vheissu, on October 18, 2005. The album was characterized by many critics as being experimentally different, using non-traditional Thrice elements in the process. From keyboard melodies ("For Miles") to Japanese music-box undertones ("Music Box") to chain gang chant choruses ("The Earth Will Shake"), Vheissu introduced a new sound to the band's post-hardcore roots. UK producer Steve Osborne, whose past credits include many Brit-pop hits, was sought by Thrice to gain a new perspective on the songwriting process, enabling the band to expand their musical influences and produce a different album. The album garnered widespread critical acclaim and peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200.
The band releasedRed Sky, an EP comprised of various b-sides as well as live recordings, shortly after Vheissu.
Thrice released the first and second volume of The Alchemy Index, a highly experimental project based on the four traditional elements (fire, water, earth, and air), on October 16th 2007. Over the summer Thrice parted ways with Island records and signed with Vagrant. The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II - Fire & Water was released on October 16, 2007, and sold 28,000 copies in its first week. The album consists of the first two volumes, Fire and Water, and features 12 songs, 6 on each disk. The third and fourth volumes, Air & Earth were released on April 15, 2008.
The "Fire" disc features the heavier post-hardcore sound traditional Thrice fans will quickly embrace, harking back to their pre-Vheissu albums. The "Water" disc, however, is comprised of ambient songs similar to those found in Vheissu, Thrice's previous album release. The "Air" disc brings a whole new element of electronic elements and delayed guitar riffs to Thrice's sound. In "Earth", much like Dustin Kensrue's solo album, "Please Come Home", Thrice introduces an indie-folk sound combining intricate piano and acoustic guitar.
Thrice's sixth studio album Beggars was released digitally through Vagrant Records in the UK on August 9, 2009 and in the US on August 11 with a physical release containing bonus material pencilled in for September 15. These dates deviate from the original proposed release date of October 13 because of a leak via Vagrant Records web player, which has meant the artwork for the album has also changed. The first single to be taken from the album is All the World Is Mad and was first made available through Guitar Hero: World Tour on July 23.
Dustin Kensrue has described the album as being "more visceral and more raw - both in the songwriting and in the overall sound. It moves with a different energy than any of our past records. It was born out of us playing together in a room, almost as a backlash to the giant headgame that was The Alchemy Index" and has been well received critically.
The seventh studio album Major/Minor came out on September 20, 2011 through Vagrant Records. Yellow Belly, Promises and a few other songs were made available for the listeners to stream online before the release date. The album received extremely positive reviews from many online websites. Alex Djaferis of Absolutepunk.net gave Major/Minor a rating of 95%. Tracks like Promises and Listen Through Me reflected a natural progression from the sound Thrice created in Beggars, which was widely appreciated by the early listeners.
Thrice decided to take a break from being a full time band on November 21, 2011. In late spring/early summer Thrice announced the 'Farewell' tour for the spring/summer of 2012 , which would be the bands final tour before going into an indefinite hiatus.
In early 2015 it was announced that the band intends to release new music and tour again. Announcements were done via the bands website http://www.thrice.net/ and social media outlets with an accompanying picture with "Thrice 2015" text.
Folk
Thrice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[verse 1:]
Your once a sweet little girl,
So innocent and pure,
Your eyes were open and sure that anyone could look right in,
And i fallow closely your gaze,
You looked up towards the sky,
Other things that caught your eye,
[bridge:]
The magazines and media supplied with their plastic protocol,
O and maybe music television really is the devil after all.
[chorus:]
But all i can say is i knew you before,
You were beautiful back then,
Before you grew up,
Before you gave in,
[verse 2:]
You dream of share in your heart,
Instead you share your bed,
And your heart beats empty and cold with all the tears that you have shed,
And you dream of baring your soul,
Instead you bear more skin,
And you wear dark glasses to keep anyone from lookin' in,
[bridge:]
The magazines and media supplied with their plastic protocol,
And maybe music television really is the devil after all.
[chorus:]
But all i can say is i knew you before,
You were beautiful back then,
Before you grew up,
Before you gave in,
[Middle 8:]
And all you want is to hear the words,
Dear baby i love you,
So you hike your skirt higher still,
Till all their eyes are on you,
And you drive in fast foreign cars,
The color of your sin,
And you tint your windows to keep anyone from lookin' in,
[Chorus:]
Oh and all i can say is,
I knew you before,
You were beautiful back then,
Before you grew up,
Before you gave in,
And all i can say is i knew you before,
You were beautiful back then,
You could be beautiful again.
The song “Folk” by Thrice is a powerful commentary on the toxic effects of fame and media on young women. The song is narrated from the voice of someone who knew a young girl before she became consumed by the trappings of fame and the media. The lyrics reflect the innocence of the girl before the magazines and music television influenced her. The first verse talks about how the girl used to have an open and sure look in her eyes that allowed anyone to look right into her. However, the singer now watches as she looks up towards the sky and drifts away from the real world, consumed by the things that catch her eye. The bridge reflects on how the media has supplied us with a "plastic protocol" that has transformed many young women into something that they are not. The chorus repeats multiple times expressing the singer's longing for the past, when she was pure and innocent.
The second verse suggests that the girl is now a woman, and the innocence she once had is now gone. The singer dreams of her sharing her heart, but instead, she shares her bed. The heart is now empty and cold, filled with tears that she has shed. She wants to bear her soul, but instead, she bears more and more skin. She wears dark glasses to keep anyone from looking into her life. The middle eight reflects that all she seeks to hear is someone saying "I love you" as she hikes up her skirt higher and higher to grab more attention. She drives flash foreign cars, representing her immorality, making her suspect by others. She tints her windows to keep anyone from looking into her life, all while the singer continues to long her innocence.
This song shows how easily women can be sucked into the vortex of fame, media, and the expectations of society. The singer longs for the past when the girl he knew was innocent and pure, but now she is just another victim of the superficiality of life that surrounds her.
Line by Line Meaning
Your once a sweet little girl,
You were someone who was once much more innocent and kind-hearted
So innocent and pure,
You were very pure and untouched
Your eyes were open and sure that anyone could look right in,
You were easy to read and your emotions were clear
And i fallow closely your gaze,
I watched you carefully and followed your actions
You looked up towards the sky,
You seemed hopeful and longing for something greater
And i watched your face drift away,
But as time went on, you became more distant and detached
Other things that caught your eye,
You became distracted by other things that weren't as important
The magazines and media supplied with their plastic protocol,
The media and society gave you a set of unrealistic expectations
O and maybe music television really is the devil after all.
Maybe the negative influences of music and television were truly harmful
But all i can say is i knew you before,
Despite all of this, I remember the person you used to be
You were beautiful back then,
You were incredibly beautiful when you had more simplicity in your life
Before you grew up,
Before you started trying to please everyone else and lost yourself in the process
Before you gave in,
Before you started to conform to society's unrealistic standards
You dream of share in your heart,
You once had aspirations and dreams that came from your heart
Instead you share your bed,
But now you settle for shallow and temporary pleasures
And your heart beats empty and cold with all the tears that you have shed,
Despite this, you feel hollow and sad, and have cried many tears
And you dream of baring your soul,
You still have a desire to express your true self
Instead you bear more skin,
But now you show off your body, hoping for superficial attention
And you wear dark glasses to keep anyone from lookin' in,
You try to keep people at bay and protect yourself
And maybe music television really is the devil after all.
Once again, the negative impact of media is reiterated
And all you want is to hear the words,
All you're really longing for is to hear someone say
Dear baby i love you,
that they love you unconditionally for who you are
So you hike your skirt higher still,
But instead of trying to find that love in a healthy way
Till all their eyes are on you,
you resort to seeking attention through physical means
And you drive in fast foreign cars,
You seek status symbols as a way to feel important
The color of your sin,
But ultimately, this lifestyle only serves to reinforce your feelings of guilt and shame
And you tint your windows to keep anyone from lookin' in,
You continue to build up walls to protect yourself from the judgment of others
Oh and all i can say is,
But despite everything, I still remember who you really are
You could be beautiful again.
And I believe that you have the potential to rediscover that inner beauty.
Contributed by Alex D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.