Vermont Trans-Trio THUS LOVE Release 'Family Man'

THUS LOVE recently announced their debut album "Memorial," out on Captured Tracks digitally October 7th & physically November 11th. And today, this Vermont trio dropped the beat-driven, new-wave-post-punk inspired single "Family Man," with accompanying video.

"Family Man is a playful commentary on internalized capitalism and the mutual hardships of the working class in a binary world, says THUS LOVE. This song hints at an inevitable systemic collapse relieving all anguish."

THUS LOVE is a band-but also so much more. The Brattleboro, Vermont trio stand together, a bond cemented by their experience as outsiders looking in. For THUS LOVE, DIY is an ethos that reflects not only their musical vision but their very existence as three self-identifying trans artists.

From the band's inception, Echo Mars (she/her), Lu Racine (he/him) and Nathaniel van Osdol (they/them) have lived together under the same roof, designed and produced their own merch, and even created their own recording studio from scratch. "I realize that most artists don't live this way," says Mars. "But for us, it was never really a choice. The art we make is so tied to who we are and the community we're a part of, that this is the only way we can possibly do it."

THUS LOVE traces its beginnings to Mars' and Racine's serendipitous meeting at a local print shop in 2018, when the multi-instrumentalists agreed to collaborate on a new musical project. THUS LOVE's lineup clicked into place when Mars and Racine were finally able to convince their roommate van Osdol to join on bass in 2019.

The band was just starting to regularly headline renowned local venue The Stone Church when everything came to a sudden and screeching halt. "The pandemic hit everyone hard, but I think it was especially difficult for new artists like us that rely on live shows to spread the word," says Racine.

"At that point, we had a couple of demos and we weren't sure what the future would hold." Rather than idly wait, the band decided to take their future in their own hands. Armed with nothing but YouTube videos and her innate curiosity, Mars constructed a makeshift studio in their rented apartment above downtown Brattleboro, recording during odd hours when their next-door neighbors were out and about.

Looking back now, Mars is glad the band decided to forge ahead. "I obviously would never want to go through a pandemic again, but I'm pretty confident in saying that this album would not be coming out in 2022 if we hadn't had the forced downtime."

Their resulting debut, Memorial, is a stunningly accomplished album, especially considering the circumstances surrounding its creation. The hallmarks will be unmistakable to anyone who has ever obsessed over classic LPs from indie and post-punk's progenitors. But even more impressive and exciting is how THUS LOVE manage to tap into this celebrated lineage to find their own unique voice and tell their own story.

Although it's tempting to cast Memorial as a record dealing exclusively with grief and loss, Racine suggests that sometimes working through those feelings are the necessary precondition to true healing. He points to his own process of transition as proof.

"I was in a dark place for a long time even when we were making this record. I knew what I had to do, but it didn't make it any easier. There was a long period of mourning." Racine finally completed his top surgery in September 2021, an important step in a years-long journey to embrace his true self. "Even though I was struggling at the time, the happiness I feel now makes it all worth it. I will always have positive associations with this record."

Watch the new music video here:

THUS LOVE Live Tour Dates

AUGUST
08.27.22 Nightshade Fest, Burlington VT

SEPTEMBER
09.03.22 Hawks & Reed, Greenfield, MA w/ Carinae, Bat House
09.08.22 Radio Bean, Burlington VT w/ Big Girl, Sour Widows
9.10.22 Otis Mountain Get Down Festival, Elizabethtown, NY

OCTOBER WITH VIAGRA BOYS & SHAME:
10.20.22 Union Craft Brewing, Baltimore, MD w/ Shame & Viagra Boys
10.21.22 Cat's Cradle, Carborro, NC w/ Shame & Viagra Boys
10.22.22 Orange Peel, Asheville, NC w/ Shame & Viagra Boys
10.23.22 Variety, Atlanta, GA w/ Shame & Viagra Boys
10.25.22 Toulouse Theater, New Orleans, LA w/ Shame & Viagra Boys
10.27.22 White Oak Music Hall, Houston, TX w/ Shame & Viagra Boys
10.28.22 Mohawk, Austin, TX Levitation Music Fest w/ Shame, Viagra Boys
10.29.22 The Parish, Austin, TX Levitation Music Fest w/ Sunflower Bean, Ringo Deathstar
10.31.22 Granada, Dallas, TX w/ Shame & Viagra Boys

NOVEMBER
11.20.22 Stone Church, Brattleboro VT w/ Lahnah

To post a comment, you must register and login.