Oklahoma City heavy shoegazers cursetheknife have just released the Thank You For Being Here double LP, including both Thank You For Being Here EPs, and demos of some of the songs, plus a demo of one previously unreleased track, "Light Bleeds" (order yours). It's very much in the vein of Hum, My Bloody Valentine, and newer bands like Nothing, and it's a genuinely great interpretation of that sound. And while CTK do of course like all three of those bands, they've got a bunch of other influences too. They made us a list of eight albums that inspired Thank You For Being Here. Stream the new LP and read on for their picks...
Sev’s (guitar, vocals) influences:
Songs of Love and Hate - Godflesh
This album really changed how I listen to percussion and drums. I fell in love with all the drum samples and loops. Heavily inspired songs like “Feeling Real” and “In Dreams.”
Barely Real - Codeine
I love how slow every song is on this EP by Codeine. You’re anticipating every drum hit and chord change while listening. It’s very hypnotic.
Red House Painters I - Red House Painters
The whole album has been a big inspiration, but songs like “Katy’s Song” and “Mistress” left big impression.Mark Kozelek’s lyrics and song structure inspired me to break the typical 3 minute song structure.
Around the Fur - Deftones
I’ve loved this band since I was a kid. Plain and simple. Stephen Carpenter's guitar tones are godly. We used “Be Quiet and Drive” as a reference track for our heavy guitar tones while mixing.
They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days In The Glittering World Of The Salons - Swirlies
Before the Swirlies I didn’t know you could incorporate the whammy bar into the main riffs of a song. I thought they were used for blues solos exclusively. After hearing this album I bent my whammy bar up so I could hold it and bend whole chords while strumming.
Branden’s (bass, vocals) influences:
Stratosphere - Duster
I love the simplicity of this album, melody and instrumental wise it’s one of my favorites. It taught me songs don’t need to be flashy and that minimal songwriting can go a long way.
Guilty of Everything - Nothing
This album is so dark and beautiful, I love that contrast. I think this inspired a lot of my songwriting for TYFBH. It taught me how to convey a lot of emotion in a song without forcing that emotion.
Somewhere Nice, Someday - Infinity Girl
Perfect album. I listened to this a lot for inspiration when writing CTK songs. The melodies on this album are A+ and always inspire me.
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28 Essential Songs from the Shoegaze / Heavy Crossover
Listen and/or subscribe to our playlist of all 28 songs:
