CREDIT: JON PISANI
THORNHILL UNVEIL VIDEO FOR PULSING NEW SINGLE “ARKANGEL”
After exciting fans with the single “Casanova,” Thornhill return with their pulsing new track “Arkangel.” Watch the video here.
“Casanova” was the first new music from the band since its 2019 debut The Dark Pool. The track swung heads for its elevated imagery— dripping in glitter and Hollywood glam. Thornhill back things up again with “Arkangel.” They no doubt confirm that they’ve stepped into an inspired new era, both musically and visually. They also prove, yet again, that they are one of the most forward-thinking bands in Australia today.
“Arkangel” was mixed by George Lever (Sleep Token, Loathe), while the music video was written by the band’s own vocalist and lyricist Jacob Charlton and edited by Third Eye Visuals.
Thornhill guitarist Ethan McCann shares how the track came to life instrumentally, saying, “I started writing ‘Arkangel’ after surrounding myself with media from the late ’90s and early ’00s. I found the hit of nostalgia to be incredibly comforting while we were all locked away. I wanted this song to make you feel the way I felt watching these shows and movies from this period, so I treated it almost like a film score. I found the opening credits to the old Sarah Michelle Gellar Buffy series and basically wrote to that opening sequence. The sections of the song move quite rapidly, the root changes three or four times within the first minute which to me is what a band full of teenagers would be doing in their garage. They don’t really know what they’re doing but it feels natural and is such a perfect representation of that era that they are living in.”
Charlton adds how he leant into McCann’s instrumentation when crafting the narrative behind the track, sharing, “I usually write lyrics and melodies around the general atmosphere Ethan brings to each track to better bring it forward in the listener and myself, as a lyricist. But this time around with Ethan’s newfound method of creating, I decided to change up my work flow and write a bit more like a script or movie narrative to allow for more ambiguous storytelling and attitude to come through, rather than just giving up the meaning straight away. ‘Arkangel’ is an alternate take on the story of ‘Icarus,’ discussing the tension between two lovers who become violent with one another as friction builds in their lustful affair.”
Having just stepped off the stage at UNIFY, Thornhill play Full Tilt and support In Hearts Wake on their Australian tour over summer, before making their debut in the U.S. in support of Dayseeker in April. The band also returns to the UK and Europe to join Bury Tomorrow and August Burns Red throughout October and November.
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ABOUT THORNHILL:
From their hometown in Melbourne, Thornhill broke out of the local scene with a pair of EPs in 13 (2016) and Butterfly (2018) — spawning support slots alongside scene heroes including Northlane, Architects, Parkway Drive, In Hearts Wake, Beartooth, Make Them Suffer, and The Plot In You, before their full-length assault The Dark Pool arrived a year later.
Presenting commanding singles including “Nurture” and “Coven,” dynamic soundscapes like “Where We Go When We Die,” and gripping themes on humanity, anxiety and loss, The Dark Pool was a winning full-length debut effort. Awarded a laundry list of accolades including triple j’s Feature Album and additional countless “Best of the Year” lists, the release also saw Thornhill awarded nominations including Best International Breakthrough Artist at the 2020 Heavy Music Awards, and Best Independent Heavy Album/EP at the 2020 AIR Awards. Two years on from The Dark Pool‘s release and the album has garnered close to 30 million streams and over 3 million YouTube views on its music videos. Meanwhile, Thornhill have become one of UNFD’s most in-demand artists for physical releases, peaking at #1 and #3 on the Physical Vinyl and Physical Australian Charts respectively, and selling over 8,000 physical equivalents in the U.S. alone.
Possessing a sonic character and resolve few young bands can claim to grasp, Thornhill are set to take over the world of modern heavy once and for all.
