A REFLECTION OF THE HUMAN CONDITION…
If someone was to come up to me on the street tomorrow, and randomly ask, “What’s your favourite band?” I wouldn’t struggle for an answer. Recently, Nothing But Thieves has become my primary source of musical relief, whether it be playing guitar at home or numbing my brain on painfully long car trips. I’ve been absorbing their music so frequently that can I almost permanently hear Conor Mason’s vocals in my day to day life.
For those of you who have no idea who I am talking about, Nothing But Thieves are an English alternative rock band formed in 2012. They have released two albums, their self-titled album in 2015 and their “Broken Machine” album in 2017 – along with multiple hit singles.
As a whole this album is spectacular. Often within albums there are many great songs, but there are also songs known as “album fillers”. Although they are still good quality songs, they lack the memorability that the more powerful tracks contain. There are no album fillers in this record. Each song contains something different that makes it memorable, which consequently results in an album where no song feels out of place. From the powerful riff and vocals in, “I Was Just a Kid”, to the soft melody of, “Sorry” the record contains a great variety of sounds. But to me this album is all about the story.
Upon diving into the lyrics of each track, I discovered a beautiful, tragic, desperate, relevant awakening story. And each song only adds another layer to the narrative.
“I Was Just a Kid” is a story of a young boy struggling through the journey of understanding religion. It highlights his desperate attempts to find something to believe in and the conflicts he faces in his mind.
“Amsterdam” is like a plea for change. A frustration regarding the state of the world, the state of people and the descent of our society into pseudo-communication verging on interpersonal silence.
“Sorry” is a beautiful message to a lover. It speaks of a friction or struggle in a relationship and sounds almost like an apology for its downfall.
“Broken Machine” highlights the story of a broken man and the adversity he faces attempting to put himself back together. It’s a story about hitting rock bottom, being broken and being unable to recover.
“Live Like Animals” sounds like a revelation about the world we live in and the state of our society. The line, “And all the kids are opening their eyes,” screams the notion of rebellion and gives insight into the near societal revolution seen in the modern youth.
“Soda” seems to me like a song about self-loathing and social anxiety. Which is particularly evident in the line, “I don’t wanna be myself, just wanna be someone else.”
“I’m Not Made By Design” is another track on the record that references Conor Mason’s journey with religion. The song protests religion and everything that comes with it. It’s a public announcement that he’s not, “made by design” and is, “no celestial toy.”
“Particles” is a moving song which contains a lot of references to drugs and self-medication and the effect of these habits on a relationship. It speaks about the issues these addictions have and how they drive others away. But it’s also a promise. A promise that if she wants him to rearrange his particles and change his lifestyle, he will do it for her. It’s a dysfunctional love story, and its written beautifully.
“Get Better” is another song about self-loathing. But this track makes a lot of references to a relationship that his lifestyle is slowly destroying. Although the lifestyle is wrong and its crippling their relationship, he is desperately trying to dig out of the hole for her. It’s lyrically very similar to particles.
“Hell, Yeah” is yet another song about religion. It’s a story about what Conor believes Hell would be like and how much he wants to go there.
“Afterlife” references both religion and relationships. This track seems to me like a story about how he is terrified of the thought of an afterlife. Simply because of the fact that if there is one, he will have to endure the pain of living again. But, worst of all, living without the one that he loves.
“Reset Me” is very similar to “Live Like Animals” from a story perspective. It references the society we live in and the state of the world. But instead of just observing the problems he sees – as he does in “Live Like Animals” – this song speaks about his wish to reset the world. He wants a change, before the whole world falls apart.
“Number 13” – the final track on the album – talks about a certain woman called, “Number 13”. The lyrics reference how great of a time he has had with this “Number 13” and how much she excites him. It’s a very sexual song.
With all of that said, this album has a beautiful but relevant overarching story. It’s about the world, our society, our religions, our moral dilemmas and most importantly it’s about us. It’s about how we live and breathe and love and hate. But it’s also about how we struggle, how we learn, how we form our own opinions and how we grow. It’s a story of the condition of our world, and how we made it this way.
Conor Mason’s vocals are astoundingly flawless. The guitars are loud, violent and melodic. The bass is adhesive and wide. The drums are fast, punishing and precise. And the story is perfect. To me the album is flawless. It’s in my top ten and it’s not going anywhere for a while.
Riff Reflection 