Of all the brilliant progressions that so many mid-2000s alternative rock bands seemed to enjoy, Thursday might be one of the least talked about. No Devolucion was a vast milestone on par with Thrice’s Vheissu. It was the culmination of gradual evolution, a display of profound maturity that left listeners wanting Thursday now more than ever. And then, just like that, they hung up the mic…thus creating an immense swan song that accomplished something rather rare – a band fashioning its best work as its very last; going out on top.
“No Answers” feels like the heart and soul of this magnum opus. It’s powerful and poignant; an account of total isolation and hopelessness. You can hear the despair in every word that escapes Geoff Rickly’s lips; even when the lyrics don’t read as overtly depressing, the way everything is so forlornly wailed makes it so. Lines like “I can hear the ocean when I say your name” and the increasingly defeated repetitions of “No answers when you’re not around” make it the ultimate expression of loss and heartbreak. It’s the equivalent of sitting alone in a dark room, jostling with your thoughts and finally deciding to just give up. It’s nearly impossible to listen to the song and not feel deeply saddened by its message, an emotive feat that you don’t necessarily want to relate to as a listener…but when you need to, it will never let you down.
