{"id":258187,"date":"2025-11-12T06:18:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T06:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/258187\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T06:18:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T06:18:09","slug":"teppei-teranishi-of-thrice-chorus-fm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/258187\/","title":{"rendered":"Teppei Teranishi of Thrice \u2022 chorus.fm"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple of days ago, I was able to schedule an in-person interview with Teppei Teranishi of Thrice<\/a> in Baltimore, Maryland to discuss the band\u2019s excellent new record called Horizons\/West.<\/a> In this interview, I asked Teppei about the writing process of a few key songs on the new LP, the vinyl reissue plans of key albums like The Alchemy Index<\/a>, and much more. Thrice are currently wrapping up their fall tour, and tickets are on sale here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thank you so much for your time today, Teppei. Let\u2019s start off by talking about how your band approached this current tour with Modern Color and Downward. How\u2019d you go about not only building the set list for this tour, but also getting paired up with these two bands?<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m gonna credit Riley with the suggestions for Modern Color and Downward. I\u2019m almost as positive it was him. Riley\u2019s like the one in the band that\u2019s got his ear to the ground, and he kind of knows all the new bands coming up. And I\u2019m probably the worst at that. But, I\u2019m pretty sure he was the one that, when we started talking about a tour, he started talking about the support bands. And so our booking agent will take submissions from other booking agents, and then we\u2019ll come up with our own kind of wishlist kind of thing. And then between that, we\u2019ll just comb through things. And then, it\u2019ll all just kind of get narrowed down to the two or maybe three at best that we\u2019ll have out. So that was that. And then the setlist. The setlist was difficult. I mean, with every single record we put out, it gets more and more .<\/p>\n

You have such a rich discography to choose from, obviously!<\/p>\n

Yeah, so many songs now, and it\u2019s getting to the point where we could play one song from each record, and that\u2019s probably a 40 minute set, at least. So, it gets hard, especially when putting out a new record, and we\u2019re actually really excited about it. And so, we are obviously wanting to play all the new stuff because we\u2019re excited about that moment. So it\u2019s just a balance of trying to find the right mix of songs that we want to play, and that we think will be fun to play, because people want hear and then there\u2019s a lot of logistics too between tuning changes, guitar changes, keyboards, and trying to figure out good transitions\u2026a lot of moving parts.<\/p>\n

Nice! So you recently announced a \u201cThrice\u201d-mas vinyl reissue of Identity Crisis, your first record, as well as a cool new re-pressing of The Alchemy Index, which a lot of people have been asking for. So why do you think so many Thrice fans still point to your work in The Alchemy Index as some of your best material, and what are your most vivid memories from recording those sessions? It was just such a big undertaking, right?<\/p>\n

I mean, I feel like it\u2019s a pretty pivotal because at least in my eyes, I think Vheissu was kind of a pivotal record, where we kind of pivoted into what we would eventually be doing, but I guess The Alchemy Index is kind of like taking the road of this is where we\u2019re gonna really push our creativity and really, kind of push them in each direction, really far. And, yeah, I don\u2019t know. I mean, it\u2019s a unique concept and unique set of records that we haven\u2019t even really kind of gone back to.<\/p>\n

Did you want to do anything different with the vinyl pressing? Obviously, they\u2019re both 12 inch pressings now, rather than 10 inch ones that you did for Vagrant.<\/p>\n

I guess just change it up a little bit with different colors for the next repress. And yeah, now it\u2019ll be two 12\u201d sets instead of four 10\u201d records.<\/p>\n

I think the new pressing is a bit more conducive for the people that have the automatic turntables that put it on the exact 12 inch setting. We always argue about it in our Chorus vinyl community, about the 10 inches, and we\u2019re kind of grumbling over how it looks different on the shelf. But yeah, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep things interesting! So let\u2019s shift gears now and talk about your excellent new LP called Horizons West. It continues down the artistic path that you first set out on 2021\u2019s Horizons East.<\/a> So what inspired you guys to dive deeper into this sequel, per se of your previous album, which is now your 12th studio album to date?<\/p>\n

Yeah, it was a fun process. So, the two records were supposed to be a little closer together as far as release dates originally. The idea was that we were gonna, more or less, record everything, kind of like Radiohead did with Kid A and Amnesia, as far as I understand, it was kind of like the same recording session. That was the idea. But we didn\u2019t end up doing it. I think it was one of those things where we finished doing East, and we just found ourselves being burnt out, and just a little bit creatively tapped. And the idea of going right back in the studio again and recording, writing and everything just felt a little daunting, which didn\u2019t feel like the right way to approach it. So we decided, we\u2019ll just come back to it, we\u2019ll tour on this. We\u2019ll do whatever we need to do, and when we feel ready, we\u2019ll come back to it, which I think was a good plan.<\/p>\n

Yeah, for sure. It gave the fans time to absorb the first material and get ready for the next one.<\/p>\n

Sure, and creatively for us, too, I think we came back to it feeling refreshed and ready. And I do think it\u2019s interesting too\u2026I think the two records would have had more of a similar feel, maybe had we done them at the same time, or closer together. I feel like there\u2019s a pretty distinct difference. We just did a signing at a record store the other day, and they were playing both East and West as we were doing . And we realized, as we were listening to East, as it was just playing, we\u2019re like, \u201cwow, we didn\u2019t really realize how much sleepier this record is.\u201d Which I think is cool.\u00a0<\/p>\n

East is definitely \u201cvibey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeah, but I feel like the new record has a little more energy, and it\u2019s got a sense of urgency to it, too.<\/p>\n

Yeah, so what do you guys plan to do next? Is there gonna be a Horizons: North & South? Or do you guys want to try something completely different?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yeah, we\u2019ve been asked that. No, I don\u2019t think there will be a North & South, so we\u2019ll just move on from that. But who knows? We haven\u2019t really talked about it yet. Still very early\u2026<\/p>\n

I mean, you are still supporting the new record. So, I have to ask about Dustin\u2019s and your guys\u2019 vocal performance on \u201cVesper Light.\u201d What were some of the biggest challenges in pulling off some of the vocal harmonies and also some of the big falsetto parts on that key track on Horizons West?<\/p>\n

Yeah, that\u2019s funny. So the falsetto on the verses of that, I feel like it\u2019s been a bit of a talking point, which was totally unexpected. So when we first released that track on the record, I guess we were getting so many comments like, \u201cOh, who\u2019s singing the verses?\u201d And we\u2019re like, \u201cWhat do you mean? It\u2019s clearly Dustin\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Yeah, I figured it was him based on the vocal cadence, but it\u2019s kind of stretching the boundaries of his range. And Dustin\u2019s obviously got a great vocal range\u2026<\/p>\n

We\u2019re around him a lot more, so I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s just second nature for us. I know he could do that. But yeah, we\u2019ve gotten a lot of questions of, \u201cThat\u2019s Dustin, right?\u201d I guess it\u2019s like, he does falsetto a decent amount, but maybe it\u2019s more in passing\u2026<\/p>\n

Sure, yeah. And there\u2019s a reason for it, usually, within the song. I think of some of the spots on The Alchemy Index, like \u201cDaedalus\u201d, that\u2019s another one of those \u201cfloating\u201d kinds of songs. He does some of that too. And that was a small teaser for what you guys did on the new record, too.<\/p>\n

Yeah. And also, he does a lot of harmonies falsetto that maybe people don\u2019t realize is falsetto just because they\u2019re tucked back a bit. But since I\u2019m recording, and I hear it, it just sounds normal to me. So yeah, that\u2019s just Dustin on \u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s really impressive. So what about the recording process of the single, \u201cGnash\u201d. Can you walk me through your band\u2019s process for this one?<\/p>\n

Honestly, that was a pretty straightforward song to record. So, on the verses, they are actually just guitars and bass.<\/p>\n

Oh, wow. So no effects and stuff like that?\u00a0<\/p>\n

No, so they are running through quite a lot of effects to make it sound like that. But, it\u2019s just guitars. There\u2019s no synths, and stuff like that. I don\u2019t believe they\u2019re on the verses, more on the chorus, right? I mean, it\u2019s pretty straightforward. I\u2019m trying to think if we did anything differently\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Remind me, did you have a producer for the new album?<\/p>\n

So we self recorded it, and we produced to an extent, and then our good friend Scott Evans, mixed it. So we worked with Scott ever since Horizons East. He also did the remix, or the re-record of Artist In the Ambulance, and then a couple of singles that we put out after East, which were part of the same sessions as East, he made those, so we\u2019ve worked with him a number of times now, and he\u2019s incredible. Yeah, he\u2019s got a really great ear, and I think he plays in a really cool band called Kowloon Walled City.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never heard of that band, but I\u2019ll have to check them out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ok, yeah, so he comes from a band perspective, so he really understands, I think, where we\u2019re coming from as far as what we want to hear . So I feel like we\u2019ve struck a really good partnership with him. We self-recorded West, and then he mixed it, and then along the way, we would kind of hit him with some questions of, \u201cHey, what do you think about this?\u201d<\/p>\n

So, it sounds like he\u2019s your band\u2019s trusted ear, kind of thing?<\/p>\n

Yeah, so he\u2019s kind of co-produced in that sense as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nice. And was that your guy\u2019s first time self-producing?<\/p>\n

No, actually, we\u2019ve done it quite a bit starting with Alchemy. So, Alchemy wasn\u2019t really supposed to be a Thrice record, per se. We were thinking about it more, almost like a side project.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s really interesting! I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen your band mention that before\u2026<\/p>\n

Yeah, so we were thinking about this kind of weird, heavy side project that we were gonna do, where we were gonna really lean into the four elements part of it. And we weren\u2019t necessarily expecting the songs to be as solid as they were, I guess. I think we were thinking there\u2019d be some, even just soundscape, stuff on it. But as we were writing it, we realized, \u201cshoot, we\u2019re actually coming up with cool stuff in these songs. Maybe this should be a record\u2026\u201d But anyway, so because of that, we\u2019d already decided, \u201cOkay, we\u2019re gonna try and record this ourselves.\u201d And that already set us on that path. So we stuck with that. So we did it on Alchemy, and also\u00a0 Beggars.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right\u2026!<\/p>\n

So Alchemy, actually, we did fully. So I\u2019m the one in the band that engineered it. So I engineered it and mixed it as well, actually. But I haven\u2019t mixed a record since then. But I engineered Beggars and\u2026what else\u2026? Oh, Palms. Palms, we kind of did half and half. We did the drums and vocals with Eric Palmquist, who did To Be Everywhere\u2026, and then all the guitars and bass and whatever else we did on our own. And then Horizons East and West, we went back to just fully doing ourselves with Scott mixing it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s awesome. So I absolutely love how you guys do such cool designs for each of your LPs. I brought two of them here as little visuals for us to kind of look at. So this is Horizons East and then Horizons West, of course. So where do you guys find most inspiration for your cover art?<\/p>\n

So both of these records were done by our good friend, Jordan Butcher, and he\u2019s just an incredible graphic designer. He\u2019s done a number of records for us. Palms, too. I mean we\u2019ll send him sort of like early versions of songs or rough mixes or whatever. We might have to give it to him early and sort of like give him a vague idea of what we\u2019re thinking, but he kind of usually just runs with it and does his own design usually. And he always comes up with these really cool ideas. He\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

How much advance notice do you have to give him? And for the designs, do you let him listen to the album in full and then kind of see what he comes up with? Or is there a collaborative process?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s collaborative in that he\u2019ll show us what he\u2019s thinking, and we\u2019ll sort of cherry pick. Like, with West, he came up with a concept, and then just gave us a rough deck of what he was thinking. Here\u2019s some possible directions. And so we kind of would choose, like, \u201cOkay, we like these colors. Or, this is kind of what we\u2019re feeling.\u201d And he\u2019s like, \u201cokay,\u201d and then just started putting that together. West cover> that\u2019s all hand-painted stuff. And the deluxe vinyl actually is gonna be bonkers.<\/p>\n

Yeah! I heard of some people that pre-ordered that, and they\u2019re so stoked!<\/p>\n

So, with that, he built the concept around the deluxe vinyl, and so that\u2019s gonna be crazy. There\u2019s gonna be tack on the hole through where it\u2019s a translucent, inner jacket. That\u2019s also a lyric thing. Yeah, so he went nuts with that, and we actually haven\u2019t even seen it yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oh, really? Do you have an estimated arrival date for the deluxe vinyl?<\/p>\n

I think we do. I don\u2019t know what it is .<\/p>\n

The last question I have for you, Teppei, is when you guys ever decide to walk away from the music scene for the last time\u2026hopefully, many, many, years down the road, what do you hope fans will remember most about your band\u2019s discography?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know, I\u2019m proud of the fact that we\u2019ve always sort of done our own thing. I know we\u2019ve been pigeon-holed into certain genres, or whatever in the past, but I always feel like we\u2019ve just sort of been in our own bubble, or just kind of taken our own path. We never really followed scenes or movements or whatever. And I think that\u2019s pretty cool. That would be cool to be remembered by that. I mean, ever since we started, I remember trying to play shows locally. It was always weird, because we never really fit into any one show. So we would play the local hardcore show, but we were \u201ctoo\u201d melodic. You know, we sang too much for the hardcore shows, and then we would play a pop-punk show, but we were screaming too much\u2026So, we never really quite fit in with anything. But in hindsight, I think that\u2019s cool.<\/p>\n

Yeah, and genre lines are blurring anyways, more and more, so if you can write good songs, it doesn\u2019t matter what genre you\u2019re in. And you guys do that.<\/p>\n

Thank you!<\/p>\n

It was great chatting with you. Can\u2019t wait for the show tonight!<\/p>\n

Thanks, Adam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A couple of days ago, I was able to schedule an in-person interview with Teppei Teranishi of Thrice…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258188,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[96,128,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-258187","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-music","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}