A Different Thread - “Sweet and the Burn”
Photo by Chloe Noblit
Transatlantic duo A Different Thread bewitch us with the brooding Americana track, “Sweet and the Burn.”
“Sweet and the Burn” staggers with a slow, slick swagger. It is confessional, swaying with the pleasures and punishments that comes with liquor. It is deliciously atmospheric giving the vibes of a slurring half-cut preacher placing their last order at the bar. You can taste the suffocating, hazy cigarette smoke and whisky fumes as the musical layers wrap around you immersively.
Every musical element feels as if it has been lifted from outlaw country or is a cinematic touch during a montage on Peaky Blinders. The dark blues stomp of the drums, simmering, bourbon-soaked snarl of electric guitars or the smoky, rasp of harmonica. The arrangement is dimly lit and blows with the winds of regret. It is also an exercise in masterful restraint, breathing, swelling and creeping with a ghostly sense of precision.
Cementing the mood are the superb, sublime vocals of the duo. Working in tandem they have a haunting sense of symmetry as they harmonise across the lyrics that poetically explore indulgence and consequences. Raw, intimate and heavy with the weight of hard worn stories, the delivery in many ways is reminiscent of Nick Cave carrying the same storyteller theatrics, menace and melancholy.
Dark, alluring, and intoxicating, “Sweet and the Burn” offers a tantalizing glimpse of A Different Thread’s forthcoming album, which is slated for release in Spring. Connect with A Different Thread: Spotify | Soundcloud | Youtube | Bandcamp | Instagram | TikTok