Local Review: Threar – Lovelost

Threar
Lovelost

Self-Released
Street: 03.16
Threar = Defeater + Modern Life is War + Redeemer

Watching the evolution of hardcore music is amazing—every time I look away for a second, it seems that another band has formed beneath my nose. The most common strains I’ve seen are the hardcore bands that will make you pissed off and those that will make you depressed, and Threar fall under the latter category.

Adopting guitar structures and rhythmic patterns evocative of post-hardcore/emocore/melodic hardcore bands, Wolf Nunley does an astounding job at harnessing emotion with his guitar and giving the sounds some atmosphere. “Homebound” is a prime example of how the composition and emotion go hand in hand—the spontaneously switching rhythms in sync with the melodies ending on a chugging breakdown is nothing short of sporadic emotional discharge. “Faultline” goes heavy on the breakdowns—the type of riffs that just make you want to punch shit, but it’s not all buildup, breakdown, repeat. It’s about the space in between that lets the music breathe and play with the listeners’ expectations. I love when music keeps you guessing like that.

Threar’s lyrical content delves into the struggles of depression, anxiety and the overall inner darkness that most people have to live with. You can say what you want about hardcore bands exposing their softer side, but I feel looking inward and projecting what you feel is one of the most honest forms of artistic expression. One of the most terrifying things we face is the darkness that looms inside of us and if it’s given an outlet, the results can be heavy. –Eric U. Norris