Album Review: THICK – “5 Years Behind”

THICK is a three piece pop punk group from Brooklyn, NY. They cut their teeth in the DIY New York punk scene, however their debut LP, 5 Years Behind, finds its home on the legendary So-Cal skater-punk label, Epitaph Records. The album’s eleven tracks clock in at just under 30 minutes and are packed to the brim with frenetic bursts of raw energy alternating with melodic, groove-based moments that’ll render any crowd into a sea of bobbing heads.

All three members share vocal duties, singing in haphazard unison, showcasing one of the bands’ strongest attributes. It blurs the line between performer and audience, making it very easy to imagine the band and the gaggle of eager front row fans as one, screaming the words together in a joyfully, cathartic cacophony.

The album’s lyrics focus on the variety of injustices and frustrations that confront band members every day. They tackle MAGA hat malaise on “Fake News and Bumming Me Out”, music industry sexism on “Mansplain” (featuring a brilliant 42-second sound collage of men offering up unsolicited, shitty opinions), traditional gender roles on “Yer Mom” and on the titular track/lead single, the band laments that no matter how hard they try to catch up with where they feel they should be in life, they are always left feeling 5 Years Behind.