Melbourne’s Thornhill have only been kicking around for a little while, but they’ve quickly carved out their name as one of the leading acts in Australia’s thriving metalcore scene.
The band are currently gearing up to release their debut record, The Dark Pool, on October 25th. They’ve given us a taste of what to expect with lead singles, ‘Nurture’, and ‘Where We Go When We Die’ — the latter of which just copped a delicious music video which you can watch below.
Watch: Thornhill – ‘Where We Go When We Die’
Ahead of the release of the record, we shot vocalist Jacob Charlton through a few quick ‘Get To Know’ questions, which you can read below.
1. How did your artist name come about?
Thornhill Avenue was the name of the street where most of our first EP 13 was written and the idea of the band first came about. We were struggling for names for a while and wanted a name that could be versatile in terms of genre so that we won’t be boxed in if we choose to change or develop in the future. I walked Ethan’s (McCann, guitar) to his house one day and saw the street sign and thought it was kind of cool and told him but he didn’t like it. I told the rest of the band and they all said yes, Ethan eventually agreed.
2. How would you describe your music to your grandma?
My Nan actually loves Thornhill so I’ll give you a scenario that mostly reflects my life explaining the band to literally anyone else. “It’s heavy, you wouldn’t like it, no not like AC/DC.”
3. Tell us about a few of your tracks what they’re about?
‘Nurture’
‘Nurture’ is about a toxic part of love we sometimes forget about. Love isn’t always beautiful, it can be ugly and it can drive you to the point of mental exhaustion and trauma. The music video showcases what you can lose when following something you love.
‘Where We Go When We Die’
This song depicts what Greta Thunberg is trying to tell the world right now, “you speak of paradise”, being our earth, “like it exists forever”, but the climate and the way we dispose of waste is leading our planet to the brink of collapse.
‘In My Skin’
Loving yourself is one of the hardest things to do and I still can’t seem to figure it out. This song describes the issues we face when looking in the mirror and why it feels impossible to feel comfortable in our own skin.
4. What do you love about your hometown/area?
One major thing I love about where I live is how close I am to everything, I’m 5 minutes from the station and buses so getting to the city or going out of the suburbs is super easy. The whole band lives super close to each other so we get together once a week and drink with friends when we aren’t writing or working.
5. Career highlight so far?
Although we haven’t actually gone yet, getting the opportunity to go to Europe with Wage War in January is huge for me. One of my goals for this band was to make it international and tour everywhere so I’m so stoked to finally be going over there.
6. Fave non-music hobby?
I love playing video games, give me a new Batman Arkham game and let Thornhill write a song for it.
7. What’s on your dream rider?
My dream rider probably involves Powerade, nachos, burgers, chicken wings, chips and anything else that will make me fat.
8. Dream music collaboration?
I would love to work with Hans Zimmer, he has made so many incredible soundtracks and is always so good at making me feel something when I listen to music. It’s something that has always inspired me in Thornhill, to make people feel a certain emotion and be the soundtrack to people’s lives.
9. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully financially stable AND in the band still, I don’t know if those two things correlate but that’s the plan. I think more importantly I want to be happy. It’s a hard thing to be in a band and give up your life of stability for a dream that might not work out, although I’d make the same choice every time and follow my dream.
10. What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Gwen Stefani discography.
Thornhill will be hitting the road in November in celebration of The Dark Pool, you can catch them at one of the below dates.
THORNHILL
THE DARK POOL AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Stay Gold, Melbourne (18+)
The Brightside, Brisbane (18+)
Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney (18+)
Enigma Bar, Adelaide (18+)*
