Umbilical

Description

Thou has always been a force of raw energy and uncompromising dissent, defying easy categorizations and pushing listeners to confront the complexities of existence. Although often associated with New Orleans sludge bands like Eyehategod and Crowbar, Thou transcends genre boundaries, drawing inspiration from a wide range of influences, from 90s proto-grunge icons like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden (all of which they have extensively covered) to the raw intensity of obscure 90s DIY hardcore punk found on labels like Ebullition, Vermiform, and Crimethinc. Their new album Umbilical, the first studio album of original music from Thou since Magus (Sacred Bones, 2018), is their firmest nod to the latter—an album filled with mosh-ready riffs and biting vocals. The band's aesthetic and political impulses have always been punk, and like anyone involved in the subculture, Thou has explored what it means to exist within and outside of rigid morality. This exploration is at the heart of the themes in Umbilical, and their self-critique is as harsh as that of the world around them. For fans of Mizmor, Amebix, Discharge, Bell Witch, Alice in Chains, Eyehategod, Nirvana, Crowbar, Emma Ruth Rundle.