Reagan High | Staff Writer | @HighReagan
On Friday March 27 I saw the Texas band, This Will Destroy You. TWDY can be given the blanket term of “post-rock,” but with their last two albums they have really transcended that label. Their 2011 album Tunnel Blanket can be described as a dark and daunting ‘doomgaze’ trip (doomgaze is a fusion of doom metal and shoe gaze if you were wondering). And their latest album, Another Language, is a more upbeat interpretation of that.
So when I got to Urban Lounge in Salt Lake I spent about an hour on the patio talking to several different people. I was drinking beer to calm my nerves and seduce myself into being social. The environment was vibrant and everyone seemed to be in a good mood that it was Friday. You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about the demeanor and spirit of the crowd of people I was mingling with. I just want you to get an idea of contrast between that moment and the moment TWDY began to play.
When they took the stage and the noise began I couldn’t help but feel that an atmosphere and environment was being created. The music TWDY creates isn’t music you listen to on your way to the mall (I guess it could be if you wanted); they make music that requires your mind and brings you onto another plane. They’re long and drawn out instrumental songs add layer after layer and lift you up into a world where nothing but sound exists. Come on in man, the sound is fine.
Before the show I was drinking beer and laughing with people I barely knew. Once the show began I entered, alone, into an hour long hair swinging trance. I was on the trip and I didn’t want it to stop.
The best thing about TWDY is that there songs can start out so quiet and draw you in. You become comfortable with the soft and ambient atmosphere surrounding you, but as quick as a beer hitting the floor, you are thrown at a “wall of noise” crescendo. You hit this wall, you break through it, and then you find yourself in a universe where distorted guitars, ambient noises, and killer percussion are your gods.
I left the show feeling as if my face and mind had been melted, so you should listen to all their music.
