Thank You, I’m Sorry – Repeating Threes | EP Review
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Self-Released
I’ve always been a little scatterbrained, and growing up in an age where constant content has seeped into every crevice of my life (especially as a teenager) hasn’t exactly helped. The supposedly simple act of sitting down to watch a movie or listen to an album in full still remains difficult to a degree. Thankfully, as I’ve grown up and acknowledged the existence of this short attention span, I’ve begun to develop practices to help, like tossing all my distractions outside of arm's length (aka throwing my phone on my bed). The very nature of an EP alleviates this problem since it presents a sizable portion of work without giving you room to get distracted. This is part of the reason why I was psyched to find out about Thank You, I’m Sorry’s latest project, Repeating Threes.
Formed in 2018, the Minneapolis, MN, indie rock band has been in high gear since the release of their third full-length, Growing in Strange Places, at the end of last year. In the time since, they’ve tackled two tours that have taken the quartet across the country, all while uploading informative TikToks about life on the road and teasing new music. Their new EP, Repeating Threes, comes less than six months after their latest full-length, and it showcases the band working in a similar vein, exploring an array of new sounds and ideas.
One of the aspects of Growing in Strange Places that stood out to me was singer Colleen Dow’s genius lyricism. The main standout on this front is the early album cut “Self Improvement,” where Dow’s ironic use of the term sheds light on the darkest parts of their life. On the other end, the directness of the lyrics on songs like “Chronically Online” offer a poignant reminder to unplug from the internet and ground yourself in the real world. There’s quite a bit of instrumental variety in this album too, from the synth-tinged “Brain Empty” to the fuzzy, punk rager “Head Climbing.” The band is able to explore all these flavors of indie rock without compromising the overall sound of the album.
Repeating Threes continues the quartet’s exploratory songwriting trajectory, albeit in a more bite-sized form. Our first taste of the EP came in the form of acoustic TikTok snippets of “Sneaking Off,” which the band labeled as “the song for your childhood best friend who you had a crush on (gay).” There isn’t a single lie within this description; a throughline of longing stretches across all nine minutes and fifteen seconds of the release. The EP’s first and only single, “When I Come East,” begins with the opening lyric, “If I mailed my heart through the midwest, would you read it,” reinforcing the yearning qualities underlying the entire collection of songs.
While the TikToks present a stripped-back version of “Sneaking Off,” the EP version is anything but. The real star of this show is the guitar that comes in during the 0:45 mark, which gives a nostalgic, twinkly sound that blends perfectly with the lyrics. There’s a sweet build-up around the minute-and-a-half mark where the band lets every instrument off the leash for a wonderful crescendo before they strip things back to a moment of serenity. The final leg of the track feels distinct from the rest of the song, with a reverberating mantra of “At least you let me hold your hand” that stays with you till long after the final guitar strum.
The final track, “Car Sick,” kicks off with a centrifugal eight-strum pattern that echoes and builds throughout the song, culminating in a refrain that kicks with the power of a 1990s Mustang. If you were ever looking to open up the pit during this EP, this would be the perfect time with the bridge packing the energy and unbridled chaos of that same Mustang doing donuts in a parking lot. The track is a high note to close on for this short but sweet EP, and it’s certainly one I’m looking forward to seeing live in the future.
Within the vast realm of emo/indie/pop/dreamy music, Thank You, I’m Sorry stands out as a voice of authenticity. The songwriting exudes an unfiltered quality, almost like Repeating Threes was born out of raw emotion alone. This unbridled passion is accompanied by an eye for detail that can only come with the methodical planning and craftsmanship of people who truly care about what they’re making. Works like Repeating Threes remind me of why I fell in love with these genres of music in the first place: there is pure, unbridled excitement in the sorrow, and finding that emotional connection is a beautiful thing.
Samuel Leon (they/he) is a playwright/actor/music lover from Brooklyn. Sam writes musical theater but not musicals. They also don’t particularly care for the internet but will use it when necessary. You can find them on Instagram @sleon.k.
