2017 was a massive year for NYC pop/soul group, Thirdstory, who spent much of the year on the road with Chance The Rapper, performed at Governor’s Ball in their home state and found massive success with the release of their 3-song EP, Searching, but they’re only getting started. On March 9th, the trio, comprised of Elliott Skinner, Richard Saunders, and Ben Lusher will release their debut full-length album, Cold Heart, a stunning blend of each artists’ influences that explores the wide range of human emotions.
By continuing to expand on their genre-bending sound while providing listeners with emotional, thought provoking songs, Thirdstory are destined to go rise even higher this year, and if you need convincing, then listen to their stunning single, and powerful love song, “Still In Love.” With the album out tomorrow, we caught up with the trio to discuss their whirlwind of a year, the new album and plans for the future. Read the entire interview now below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Only a couple of months ago, you guys were wrapping up an insane 2017, and now you’re getting ready to release your debut album, Cold Heart this month. What have been some of the highlights of the last year or so for you?
Performing at Governor’s Ball in our home city was a particularly special moment. The video shoot for “Still In Love” was also really fun, as we got to reunite with our favorite director, Austin Winchell.
What are you most excited for listeners to hear on Cold Heart?
We’ve sung a lot of the songs on this album on past tours, so we’re excited for fans to hear these songs up close and personal. We spent a lot of love and care on the overall production atmosphere for the album, and we hope our fans feel like they’re almost watching a movie as they listen to the album front-to-back.
When you were first starting out, making covers and writing music, did you ever envision yourselves where you are now? A full-length is a hell of an accomplishment, especially considering just how busy you guys have been.
From day one we knew we wanted to write our own songs, so releasing an album of completely original material feels absolutely amazing.
How do you feel you’ve grown as artists since Thirdstory first formed to now?
I think maybe one of the biggest ways in which each of us has grown is that we’re less likely to let go of our artistic convictions when someone insists we do something in a more “commercial” way. The three of us will always fight to give our fans the best music we possibly can as opposed to the most “marketable” music we can.
When you began working on Cold Heart, did you have any major goals in mind? What did you want to accomplish with this release that you maybe haven’t had the chance to do in the past?
I think a major goal for Cold Heart was to maintain a high level of quality throughout the body of work, and that meant building as high quality a team as we could to help us complete it. It was all three of our first time working with such experienced, outstanding producers as Malay and Oak.
Did you come across any challenges when working on the album? If so, how did you overcome them?
All three of us are very different, unique singer/songwriters, and at times it was hard to find ideas that appealed to all three of our tastes. We gradually developed a writing process that involves a lot more giving than taking – the result is an album that truly reflects each of our artistic perspectives equally.
One of the first songs you released from the album was “Still In Love.” Can you tell us a little bit about the track?
We didn’t know whether we would include “Still In Love” on the album until we showed it to Eryn, and the rest is history.
What do you hope fans take away from the album?
Every song on Cold Heart covers an emotional moment in time – we hope these songs will comfort our listeners when they’re faced with similar experiences.
Following the album release, you have a run of tour dates coming up in March and April! What are you looking forward to the most during this tour?
Seeing our fans in person is always super energizing, and makes us want to get back into the studio and make more music for them ASAP.
What is the rest of 2018 looking like for Thirdstory? Do you have any other big plans?
We’re hoping to perform outside of North America as soon as we can. Otherwise, we’re always writing and recording more music whenever we can.
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