Single Review: The White Thorn Track

Creating a hybrid of two distinct musical genres is a tightrope act; trying to simultaneously display and maintain the characteristics of both the Rock and Country genres in a way that feels organic to the audience. Robby Thorne strives to achieve this task by the addition of the amplified electric guitar to an otherwise country track.

Cowbells and banjos adorn the track, but the vocals are the truly distinguishing characteristic of the track, and it swings the musical style more towards the country music genre. Thorne’s vocal style has a very distinctive “twang” that adds power to his vocals and gives that southern cowboy sound.

Listening to Thorne’s vocals, it is reminiscent of both The Offspring’s Dexter Holland, and Metallica’s James Hetfield. Thorne seems to have more fun with the country style of singing, but the heavier, more abrasive style in the chorus feels more organic and natural. Personally, I prefer his earlier tracks such as the 2016 single Quick Whiskey, which is trends more towards the rock side, but it is refreshing to see acts moving outside of the generic guitar-bass-drums setup.

_{Review written by Alex Moulton}