Album Review: Thornhill – The Dark Pool

This Melbourne five-piece released an EP a year-and-a-half or so ago, and it showed incredible promise. This, their debut long player, very much picks up where that EP left off – it’s just bigger, badder, bolder and there’s much more of it. 

The sheer density, power and coherence of the production – the brooding, compelling darkness of the sound, the ebbing and flowing dynamics of it all, swelling before pulling back to swirling atmospherics – are striking. The songs cannot be described as instantly gratifying, they take a moment to wend their way into your psyche, but if you allow them to, the rewards are extraordinary. This band has crafted 11 absolute cracker tracks, the highlight coming early in the powerhouse form of Nurture. But this record is wall-to-wall quality, no filler. 

While the overriding vibe of the sound is deeply dark, the songs still soar to the heavens. This debut is an enormous statement, and should garner Thornhill significant national and international attention. It’s also unquestionably one of the best releases of 2019.