There aren’t many songs out there that this reviewer in the closing moments thinks to themselves “Wow.” However, I did just that through Mr. Thank You’s new single, Project Graham.
The Manchester four-piece has produced one of the most mind-boggling rock pieces of 2023. Project Graham blurs the lines between conventional genres and asks the question, if a train has no brakes, will it ever stop?
To say Project Graham blurs the lines is one thing, but this five-minute offering gives so much. From alt-rock to post-hardcore to prog to gothic to who knows what, Mr. Thank You makes it work. It would be hard to pin down one band with such resemblance, but after hearing the track, Project Graham likens itself to the experimental Faith No More of the mid-90s.
There are even elements of King Crimson as the safest genre to put the group in would be prog rock.
It’s music that is both demanding of attention and so eccentric it doesn’t think you can keep up. The overall themes of the song also ask questions of what would a human look like if they withstood the impact of a car crash. The song is written from the subject Graham’s perspective who is the victim in the ordeal. If someone withstood a car crash, I’d probably give them five minutes to hear what they had to say.
Moments of the track feel like a descent into madness. This is felt with the keyboard workings that enter an 80s circus-like nightmare found in many cheesy horror films. The overall macabre of the track from whirring guitars to ascending bass notes leaves the listener uneasy from the get-go.
The vocal stylings of frontman Tom Hammersley vastly diversify themselves as the track progresses. The hauntingly poetic and soar amongst the chaos of music that stands before them. The drum interludes of ferocious rolling and guitar build almost feel like the listener is becoming lost in Graham’s injury.
The track explodes halfway through with three-note beats and over-effected vocals as if so much energy had built up. Following it is where the fantasy/circus element births and is a gentler but by no means less intriguing offering. The bass delivers soloing moments with its thick licks bleeding through the dominating keyboards.
Even as the song plays out it leaves you wanting so much more. The hive minds of the members have produced such an intriguing and well-developed piece of music. It’s so refreshing and somewhat peculiar to hear and feel that music has so many possibilities.
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