When I call Brooklyn’s punk trio Thick, I have no clue that their YouTube video for their new single, “Mansplain”, is going viral, in part, It’s not necessarily unexpected for people to get offended by Thick; men, especially in punk, tend to take it personally when powerful, unapologetic women have a platform. This is nothing new for Thick. The band’s 2019 self-titled EP was full of fast-paced tracks with abrasive yells and confrontational lyrics, including a song titled “Your Mom”.
“I knew the comments were gonna go in this direction, and I had been emotionally preparing myself for quite some time,” Nikki Sisti (guitar, vocals) says of the “Mansplain” video, “but it definitely exceeded my expectations.” Her bandmates — Kate Black (bass, vocals, guitar) and Shari Page (drums, vocals) — agree, and they repeatedly make the disclaimer that they don’t give that much and they laugh. It’s very much this complex sisterhood that is encapsulated in their music — a reckoning with serious turmoils, but against a playful backdrop of catchy riffs and fun wordplay (“Fake news/ Send nudes!”). They adeptly mix up styles across the 11 tracks and evoke bands like The Breeders and Cayetana. Comment sections aside, you get the sense that each song acts as a cathartic outlet for the band.
t all comes together to form an imperfect portrait of hope on their debut album, 5 Years Behind. Things are messy, but Thick are here to show us the light that persists through the darkness and to remind us that we still have community and solidarity.
The Fat Angel Sings 