THRICE • Palms • LP

Epitaph Records 

For their debut on the Epitaph label, Dustin Kensrue (vocals, guitar), Teppei Teranishi (guitar), Eddie Breckenridge (bass), and Riley Breckenridge (drums)—friends since their school days—worked together with producer Eric Palmquist. While the experienced producer handled vocals and percussion, the band took charge of the guitar work.

This freed the guys from having to play every single note perfectly. As Kensrue explained, “It’s more about getting the right emotion out of the performance, so that it connects on a deeper level.”

The result is a highly expressive, stylistically diverse album whose ten tracks range from piano ballads to aggressive bangers. To any hardcore purists who might turn up their noses: passion and intensity aren’t just about power—they’re about attitude. And in that regard, the Californians have nothing to apologize for.