Thank - ‘I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed’ review
Thank by Summer Crane
This Friday, Leeds-based noise rockers Thank make their Big Scary Monsters debut with their sophomore album, I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed. There’s always a worry that a band with such intense, overwhelming live energy will lose something in translation when committing it to record, often ending up a pale imitation of their live selves. But THANKfully, I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed is anything but watered down. Every element hits full throttle—Steve Myles' drumming is raw and relentless, Cameron Moitt’s bass packs a visceral punch, Lewis Millward’s synth and guitar work rips jagged holes through the soundscape, and frontperson Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe charges through each track like the musical offspring of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith and Frank Sidebottom, raised wild on the other side of the Pennines.
Speaking of The Fall, in many ways, Thank embodies the spirit of bands like The Fall that were championed by the late John Peel, delivering chaotic, brash sounds and fiercely satirical lyrics. Recorded at Scarborough’s Beckview Studios with longtime producer Rob Slater, I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed channels the abrasive, unpredictable energy of Thank’s live shows, combining pounding beats, dissonant synths, and Northern wit into a record that leaves you as bruised and exhilarated as one of their gigs.
Right out of the gate, we’re hit with the album’s second-longest track, “Control”. Its brooding synth lead builds a tense atmosphere, taking over a minute before Vinehill-Cliffe snarls to life, delivering one of the album’s many biting critiques. The opening feels almost like those deafening moments in a venue just before the lights drop, right before you’re hit with wave after wave of sonic annihilation. Packed with unapologetic forthrightness and scathing lyrics, “Control” immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album.
Landing at a time when the world feels like a complete clusterfuck, with ignorance and hatred taking full control, I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed arrives with undeniable urgency. “Woke Frasier” is a perfect example, with Vinehill-Cliffe’s biting satire tearing into right-wing figures who brand anything progressive as “woke” while hiding their financial gain behind a facade of faux intellectualism. The line, “Bad news, your credit card details are now woke / and you should send them to me for safe disposal,” is delivered with razor-sharp humour and a darkly playful edge. Vinehill-Cliffe’s scathing delivery expertly deconstructs the absurdity of these self-proclaimed intellectuals, exposing their profit-driven motives masked by performative outrage, dodgy affiliate links, and poorly made merch. The track’s genre-defying chaos perfectly captures Thank’s essence—unfiltered, confrontational, and instantly recognisable.
“Do It Badly”, which announced the album, is a self-deprecating anthem about embracing imperfection, complete with gritty lyrics and a raw, DIY ethos. It’s classic Thank: jagged, satirical, and brilliantly chaotic. Following this one-two punch, “The Spores” pushes things even further with a seven-minute blitz that doesn’t let up for a second. Then there’s “Down With The Sickness”, where Thank’s twisted sense of humour takes centre stage, showcasing their knack for mixing satire with brute intensity. The band delivers this sonic mayhem without a hint of pretentiousness—it feels unfiltered and unapologetically them.
If any other band played “Barely”, it would be a sultry synth-pop number. But with Thank, it morphs into something far more unruly. The sultry, infectious synth lines remain, but they’re offset by a feeling akin to staring up at a spinning disco ball from the floor, reeling after being decked to the dance floor. It’s a standout moment—a glimpse of Thank’s brilliantly chaotic duality, a fractured take on dance-floor euphoria through a noise-rock lens. It’s my favourite track on the album, a pure piece of musical schizophrenic brilliance.
“Smiling Politely” serves as a deceptive interlude before the final trio, starting as another dose of Thank’s signature chaos before shifting into a dissonant, experimental space that calls to mind The Beatles’ “Revolution 9”. This unsettling detour sets the stage for the album’s closing stretch, kicking off with “Dead Dog In A Ditch”—a short, ferocious blast of noise rock that primes listeners for the epic finale of “Perhaps Today” and “Writing Out A List Of All The Names Of God”. These closing tracks showcase Thank’s flawless blend of satire and intensity. “Perhaps Today” features a haunting refrain about “preparing for the rapture”, which leads into the track with the most Ronseal title imaginable, “Writing Out A List Of All The Names Of God”. Inspired by a handwritten note from Vinehill-Cliffe’s grandfather, the track lists divine names in a frantic effort to hold onto fading memories. Described by Vinehill-Cliffe as “a diss track in response to another diss track,” it captures the urgency of clinging to meaning as the world continues to spiral.
With I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed, Thank pulls off what few bands can: translating their raw live energy into a record that’s fierce, biting, and unapologetically relevant. Tracks like “Woke Frasier” and “Perhaps Today” bristle with tangible unease and sardonic commentary, while the relentless, dissonant production pulls you into a headspace teetering between exhilaration and exhaustion. It’s a record that, rather than softening their sound, leans into the bruises, cementing their place as one of the most fiercely original acts in the UK scene.
I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed from Thank is out on 8 November via Big Scary Monsters and available on all good streaming platforms.
