A highly anticipated album by Fred Thomas is set to be released this week. Known as an influential figure in the Michigan indie scene and the founder of Saturday Looks Good To Me, Thomas’s latest solo work marks a significant departure from the upbeat, jangly sound of his trio Idle Ray.
In the 2010s, Thomas released three solo albums: All Are Saved, Changer, and Aftering. These collections felt like eclectic indie rock mixtapes, blending various genres while retaining a distinct, rough-edged quality. His lyrics explored themes from punk-house culture with humor and insight, such as in the memorable line from “Open Letter To Forever” reflecting on youthful identity and community.
The upcoming album, Window In The Rhythm, is launching soon and continues the introspective vocal style from his previous works, yet musically it ventures into new realms. Consisting of seven tracks across two LPs, the album features expansive soundscapes that shift between tranquil melodies and grander sonic experiences.
The album’s nearly nine-minute opening track, “Embankment,” revisits a memory-filled time of beginnings tempered by the awareness of loss. Thomas’s skill in crafting specific and evocative lyrics shines, creating an interplay between the lyrics and the music that beautifully captures the chaos of memory: “I made you a tape with the same Squarepusher song on it four times, but not in a row/ To mimic the way so much was haphazard, the abundance of magic in a fragmented flow.”
Thomas shares poignant insights about this track:
In December 1997, my close friend Geoff and his family suffered a tragic loss when a malfunctioning furnace caused carbon monoxide poisoning. Geoff was 26, and I was only 21. The event struck a deep chord within our community of young punks in Michigan, significantly altering our lives. Geoff ran a recording studio that enabled many musicians to produce their music, including my early projects. Losing him felt surreal, especially with so much life unfolding around the same time. This song explores the weight of that grief while navigating the thrill of new experiences and friendships that also emerged during that turbulent period.
Additionally, in the fall of 1998, Ann Arbor underwent a citywide cleanup that led to strange fumes lingering in the air, which symbolized a similar unaddressed heaviness in our lives. It felt as though we were living under an unseen threat, affected by it yet without any guidance on how to cope or communicate about it.
“Embankment” poignantly captures the accumulated sense of loss and reflection Thomas has developed through the years. Check out the track below to hear his artistic evolution.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Embankment”
02 “Coughed Up A Cufflink”
03 “Electric Guitar Left Out In The Street”
04 “Season Of Carelessness”
05 “Hours”
06 “New Forgetting”
07 “Wasn’t”
Window In The Rhythm will be available on 10/4 through Polyvinyl. You can pre-order the album here.
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