In Theory Depression. Thala

In the very first seconds I had the idea In Theory Depression was not for me. But what about that guitar behind that voice of the umptieth girllike, innocent-sounding female singer? My scepticism disappeared within seconds when the sound kept growing and growing before the song exploded like one of those horrible and plainly speaking despicable online betting commercials.

Thala is an artist born in Germany, raised in Canada, lived on a Canary Island and now works from London. Does this globetrotting resonate in her work? No, I'd venture. Her songs do reflect several decades of music, where pop blends perfectly with alternative rock with the kind of explosions that I associate with 80s bands like The Cult and early 90s grunge songs.

The noise is certainly a feature in Thala's songs. The noise is always a part of a bigger whole in which the song is central. When all is said and done each song can be played with an acoustic guitar around a campfire and will stand its ground. (Whether anyone can sing along, like in the days of my youth to well-known songs, is another matter.) In other words, Thala always puts melody up front, vocally and musically. Most songs have a strong one even.

In 'You Had 2', the opening song, that starts as an uncertain song sung by an uncertain singer, morphs into an incredibly strong chorus, So strong that Thala even dares to vary the intensity of the chorus during the song. 'You Had 2' turned into you had me, hook, line and sinker.

Promo photo

In Theory Depression is a six song mini album but one that, with the exception of the second song, is so strong. The exception stems from the level of quality of the other five songs, A singer like Beabadoobee may kill for such a song as strong as 'Curtain call'. The album ends with a real bang going from soft to ever more impact. The title song ends with a huge solo underneath that voice that I have come to appreciate a lot.

Thala's voice is rather soft and a little thin. Mixed on top of the music it gives the songs a strong sense of longing, which adds another pleasant layer to her songs. For me In Theory Depression is my introduction to Thala. It could not be better. Her mini album is so strong and good. It makes me very curious to hear what will come next.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order In Theory Depression here:

https://thalaofficial.bandcamp.com/album/in-theory-depression