Dustin Kensrue has never shied away from storytelling, but on his new single, "Something Loud," he trades post-hardcore drama for the wide-open and dusty roads of country-western tradition. Displaying his profound passion for the American Southwest narrator, the Thrice ringleader enters new sonic grounds, crafting a rich and nostalgic yarn of a sound that embodies the spirit of Johnny Cash, Gene Autry, and Patsy Cline.
With a warm, earthy guitar sound and a raspy voice that speaks a gritty firmness but also a vulnerable delicacy, Kensrue draws you into a world of campfires and canyons with songs that open like windows or highways. Each gradation of the song makes it useful to the minute, brief enough to be floating along through time. With a subtle, wide-open-quiet sensibility, "Something Loud" balances the country classics that helped nudge Hudson's cavorting creativity forward with his uniquely emotive vocalizing dynamism.
This latest single gives us a taste of his upcoming desert dream of a solo album, Desert Dreaming. It's an intimate look at landscapes, literal and emotional. Songs like "Western Skies" and "The Heart of Sedona" reaffirm Kensrue's talent for converting private introspection into music that resonates across the board. Here, he exchanges distortion for narrative, showing that raw honesty and bare melodies can be as potent as any anthemic rock chorus.
As he forges ahead into this new sonic chapter, Kensrue hasn't forsaken his roots. He's exploring them new ways, breathing life into a classic sound with contemporary sincerity. "Something Loud" isn't simply a song. It's a mood, a location, and a desire for something enormous and homey. And, true to Kensrue's form, it sticks around long after the last note has faded.