dad thighs – The Ghosts That I Fear
Get your sad vibes on with this new release from dad thighs, a band from Canada that knows their emo history.
How’s the Canadian scene? Maybe this band from Vancouver can tell us with their music. dad thighs (stylized like that) is a fairly new band with an explosive sound that released their first demo back in 2013. This was followed by a split with Karate Kids and a live album in 2016, making this their first LP. Nine songs full of emotion that we’ll dive into now
From the beginning, the most characteristic is their mix of indie emo, with its use of sweet arpeggios and chords, and screamo, with its distinctive tension. We go from soft melodies to dark hardcore reminiscent of Toronto’s La Luna. Strong female vocals that go from reciting words to harsh screams, with a soft clean voice in between, sometimes accompanied by male backing vocals. Not only their music, but also their aesthetic reminds me of the post-hardcore band Yaphet Kotto, a classic of the underground punk scene. Their penchant for contrasts and melodic riffs is very present and obvious, as is their knowledge of past emotive hardcore bands from the ’80s and ’90s. They combine a lot of elements in a very well done way
We are all in this together, but we all hate ourselves
This album is an opportunity to look at emo, punk and indie in a different way. Even when we hear something like a pop riff with a passionate vocal, it’s all in the context of the past music that most people who are into that genre have listened to. It’s not something new at all, but it’s a really good remix. Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s called dad thighs. It was also mastered by Will Killingsworth of Orchid/Ampere. Of course he got the sound right.
