From Whittier, California, Alternative band Thatcher releases their latest foot-stomping single “Drink”. Welding from a two-piece between guitarist Albert Mejia and vocalist Shane Tippit, to a four-piece with the addition of bassist Cesar Bueno and drummer Cesar Roa. Thatcher always remains experimental with their songwriting approach, blending elements of funk, alternative, R&b, and rock. Their latest anthemic single “Drink” goes back and forth between invigorating energy and contemplative lyrics surrounding the benefits of keeping someone around when it may be best to part ways. Through finely-calibrated alt-rock instrumentals, “Drink” gives off a truly intoxicating vibe. Opening with Albert Mejia’s quick electric guitar picking and Shane Tippit’s clear and soaring vocals that sprawl to different ends of “Drink”. Once the hard-hitting chorus comes around, Thatcher’s entire instrumental kicks in giving off a vibrant yet relentless tone that sticks around in your mind.
With striking top-flight drums from Cesar Roa and a structured bass line from Cesar Bueno that shapes “Drink” to a riveting and energetic alternative hit. While taking different and unexpected paths that shift the tempo of the track, we’re moved by Thatcher’s ability to create a fluid and dynamic piece of music. It’s without a doubt that the name Thatcher will soon be familiar, especially through their unpredictable and exciting single “Drink”.
You can listen to "Drink" here.
Hey Thatcher, welcome to BuzzMusic! We’re loving the emotionally-rich instrumentation on your latest single “Drink”. Could you elaborate more on the message of the song, and what inspired Thatcher to write “Drink”?
Sure thing! This single was inspired by the band's shared struggle with love, and the “one” that got away/never happened/or downright just played with our emotions. Our communal response, when confronted with this situation, is represented in the choruses described as reaching for a drink with our friends to find solace in each other from the pain that lingers. As far as a message goes, we want our listeners to have a song of their own when they’re out drinking to forget if the situation calls for it of course.
Thatcher’s sound is incredibly unique and intriguing, being inspired by broad music across genres like funk, alternative, R&B, and rock. Could you share where Thatcher lies most comfortable, whether it’s a groovy R&B track or a groundbreaking rock anthem?
I think as a band each player has a strong inclination towards rock music since for the most part that is the genre we grew up listening to and or playing along to. However, our musical taste is wide and we are into whatever makes us move and feel something. R&B/funk grooves are strong influences for us and we try to blend that influence with our roots in rock. So a short answer would be that “Drink” is geared more towards a rock anthem but with subtleties of R&B injected into the track here and there, especially during the bridge.
Speaking on Thatcher’s diverse approach to music, could you expand on how you crafted the instrumentals to “Drink”, and how you found elements that worked vs. what didn’t?
The instrumental for our song "Drink" all started out with the main guitar riff heard in the verses. From there, I had the bassist and drummer expand on it and lay down a groove. After the band recorded all the bass, guitar, and drum parts I started to experiment with other instruments to see what would fit the vibe I was hearing in my head. I really wanted to tap into some vintage sounding keyboard and synth sounds during the first reiteration of the Verse/Pre-Chorus/Chorus, and in the second instance I tried out a more classical approach in the instrumentation with the use of the string section. I also really enjoy the sweet timbre of melodic percussive instruments like the glockenspiel and vibraphone, so you'll hear a bit of those sound in the arrangement too. As far as elements that didn't really work out it would have to be the horn parts I tried to add during the chorus. In my head, I wanted to achieve a 70s parliament funkadelic type vibe with some funk horns, but ultimately decided it would not really mesh well with the overall arc and palette of sounds in the song.
Seeing as Thatcher is quite an experienced and long-standing group, have you seen any noticeable growth within Thatcher’s sound or songwriting? Or has your approach maintained fairly steady over the years?
Thatcher is actually a relatively new project, we have had two singles released since January of this year, but we have been practicing and writing together for a little over a year now. So we definitely have an idea of the sound and approach in songwriting we are trying to go for. Still, we find ourselves exploring other styles in our writing. We really just care that the vibe does justice to the content of the song and that it at some level correlates with what we previously released.
What can we expect to see fromThatcherthroughout 2020?
Thatcher will be working hard in the studio trying to drop a few more singles before the year ends. We have our next single "Broke Boy Blues" (written by our bassist Cesar Bueno) in the works, and will hopefully be out by May/June of this year. And of course, if the quarantine is lifted soon, we will be booking as many gigs as we can in the Los Angeles area.