Thou has always been a force of raw energy and unapologetic dissent, defying easy categorization and challenging listeners to confront the complexities of existence. Their forthcoming album, Umbilical, is their firmest nod to the raw intensity of obscure ’90s DIY hardcore punk. It’s a record filled with mosh-ready riffs, heavy breakdowns and scathing vocals. The band’s aesthetic and political impulses have always been punk and like anyone embroiled in the subculture Thou have been exploring what it means to exist within and without a rigid morality. That exploration takes thematic center on Umbilical and their self-assessment is as harsh as that of the world around them.
Today Thou share Umbilical’s seething lead single and album centerpiece, “I Feel Nothing When You Cry” of which the band tell is “A throwaway mantra scraped from the necrotic skin of syndicated television. A lugubrious nod to our favorite commode-crooning diva, one of her most diabolically terse lines. With the sweet, sultry whispers of a legendary New Orleans faerie. This might be as close as we’ll get to a positive, youth crew anthem. ‘This song has nothing original or of value. It’s a steady beat for dancing feet. You got what you wanted, now say the words…’”
Umbilical is Thou’s first full-length release of original music since their 2018 Sacred Bones debut Magus, and 2020 collaborative split with Emma Ruth Rundle, May Our Chambers By Full. Umbilical will be released across all digital platforms and available in stores May 31 via Sacred Bones. All vinyl editions come with a black 7” featuring the tracks “I Feel Nothing When You Cry” and “Unbidden Guest”, which are also available on CD and digital products.
