An impressive debut album from an intergenerational US hardcore trio!
For most of us, the idea of being in a band with our parents is a nightmare (in my case, probably more for them than for me), but for Holden (guitar/vocals) and David (drums) Perron, they’ve made it work; with The Thirsty Giants born from a shared love of classic US hardcore. Initially started during Covid lockdown-era jam sessions in 2022, they’ve since self-recorded and self-released various singles and EPs, recruiting bassist Hunter Thiesen along the way, before recording this debut album of sorts – to be released on A Proper Record Label, no less!
Like many of their musical heroes, they recorded the songs live in a short time frame, and the rawness and sense of urgency shines through in every note. The band themselves cite Black Flag and Circle Jerks among their influences; there are also elements of Poison Idea’s nihilistic fury, a touch of Husker Du, and let’s not forget their obvious love of making a great big distorted Stooges-esque racket.
They can certainly rage with the best of them, and the likes of ‘This Thing Called Junk’ and ‘Nice Urn’ will get your pulse racing as they go blasting past in a blur of snot-nosed vocals, powerhouse drumming and barbed-wire guitars. They’re now clearly driven by something far more profound than lockdown-induced boredom, and although some of their earlier recordings are pretty good, there’s little that hits as hard as, say, this record’s vitriolic ‘F.R.F.A’.
We particularly like the slow-fast-slow dynamic of ‘Endless Repulsion’, with Holden spitting his words out with palpable disgust at the world around him, and the more melodic punk rock stylings of ‘No Future’. There’s also something of a surprise in store on final track ‘Wake’, which boasts the kind of crunchy NYHC-style riffing that should spur even the most reluctant of crowds into a flailing mess of limbs – as should that evil-sounding breakdown at the end. Proof enough that this lot are a versatile bunch.
The band have been described as making songs “that are peering out into a world that’s filled with violence, war, greed, addiction and assholes”. Bleak indeed, but The Thirsty Giants are tackling this dark subject matter with plenty of gallows humour, and encapsulating pretty much everything that’s great about hardcore whilst doing so. Clearly too good to remain in David’s basement, and we’ll be watching to see where they go from here.
‘Escape The Junkyard’ is released via Round Bale Recordings on May 29th – pre-order it HERE.
Main Photo Credit: KATY KELLY
- TG Intro
- This Thing Called Junk
- Read The Room
- F.R.F.A
- No Future
- Nice Urn
- Disperse
- Escape The Junkyard
- Endless Repulsion
- Dead End Killer
- Abandon All Hope
- Cracked Egg
- Wake
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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