The Thirds

Upstate New York’s The Thirds are gearing up for the release of their first EP, Dork Matter, a stylistic follow-up to their 2016 debut full-length 60/60 Vision. There’s the usual influences of MGMT and Weezer which are often typical in indie rock, but the band also embraces certain shades of classic rock, from the big drums of Led Zeppelin to the guitar sound of late period Beatles. The lo-fi aesthetic undercuts any pretension, but underneath the silliness and sludge, a serious attitude toward pop craftsmanship persists and the songs are stronger in construction than the sheen of obfuscation otherwise suggests.

“Say A Few” is perhaps even more of a Weezer song than anything Rivers Cuomo has ever written, and its self-deprecating themes of failure and worthlessness essentially make it an anthem about impostor syndrome. Singing of anxiety and regrets, the rest of the EP treads similar territory, and it creates some fantastic irony on “Maybe,” a song that has some otherwise very sunny Beach Boys melodies. Dork Matter isn’t a great leap forward for The Thirds, but it makes the case once again that they are very capable of writing subtly mature pop with a brand of confessional lyricism rare in their scene. If they will follow these inclinations further in their next release, only time can tell. - The Big Takeover

The Thirds provide entertainment with the new album “Dork Matter,” an avant-garde album comprised of modern — and offbeat — but definitely fun songs.

It’s ridiculously “avant garde” music, where the drums in particular seem to be doing their own thing. It’s like a twisted blend of the rage of The Dead Milkmen meeting the vulnerability of Jonathan Richman. What year is this, anyway?

These are talented musicians, but they took a left hand turn somewhere in upstate New York, where they’re from. From the one live clip provided, we can see that The Thirds could be fun in a live venue and perhaps we should reserve further judgment until we can see them.

The first single off the album, “Antimatter” is a clever idea: “I don’t matter, I antimatter,” which is often how we all feel in this less and less human world.



Recording Matter
The Thirds’ songs on Dork Matter are good but it would be better if the band didn’t rely on gimmicks like vintage radio clips because it’s pretty bad when the antiquated radio clips are a better quality than the recording itself.

We particularly like the song “Say a Few,” which couples pure self-loathing with seemingly random insanity of the music. There are some quasi-intellectual statements scattered about throughout the song, in particular the beautiful line: “Admission of guilt is absolution of responsibility to change,” so true.


The Thirds Have Got ‘Something’
Their previous album, 60/60 is another compilation of “interesting” songs but there is a message that needs to be repeated for us to understand. One thing is clear, whether there is this affected need to present their music in an elementary manner or not, it’s good stuff.

There is some excellent music here on Dork Matter, including great guitar riffs and wild drumming. Don’t let this lo-fi recording fool you as it almost did to us. It took a while for us to really hear the talent here. Listening to The Thirds’ music is like the stages of death: First there’s denial, then there’s anger and, finally, reluctant but helpless acceptance. In other words, it’s far out but it works.

Release Name: Antimatter/Maybe/Dork Matter EP
Release Date: May 25, 2018
Label: Independent
Producer: Self-Produced
Track List:
1. Buncha Nerds
2. Say A Few
3. Statue of Limitations
4. Miracle Metal
5. Maybe
6. Antimatter
Musicians:
Chris Saporito: Vocals, Bass, and Guitar
JJ Padovani: Vocals, Bass, and Guitar
Cody Lengel: Drums
Styles: Indie Rock, Rock and Roll, Grunge, Noise Rock - East Coast Rocker

New York musical trio, The Thirds, are a heart-warming bundle of nerds that have come together to make their voices heard over the release of their dynamic new EP, ‘Dork Matter’.

Kicking off with the first track, “Buncha Nerds”, the guys begin with a short intro that initially throws a twist into what’s to come over a cunning short speech that showcases their sense of humor. The second track, “Say A Few”, channels the grungy lyrical style of Nirvana and 90’s Grunge as they face their personal insecurities in a comical way over mellow instrumentals that add to the dreary mood that they intended to create. “Statute of Limitations” is the third track that picks up the emotional pace and takes a turn down a tunnel of optimism as the guys lyrically challenge their own self-imposed limitations while instrumentals match the likes of Jimmy Eat World in their ‘Bleed American’ days.



The fourth track, “Miracle Metal”, ties in another cheerless speech that subliminally speaks of how individuals within our modern-day tend to waste away their days sitting in front of the television rather than living out their lives and exploring the world both within and around them. “Maybe” is the fifth track that showcases a smooth yet powerful vocal style as lyrics that reek of indifference are spread wide and shared without an ounce of shame. Closing out with “Antimatter”, the guys explore an instrumental style similar to Minus The Bear as they lyrically trek through a mixture of both their humanness and geeky tendencies that keep them existing within an isolated world that is entirely their own.

The Thirds have created a smorgasbord of music that has been strung together through the influence of 90’s Grunge, Alternative Rock and their own otherworldly musings. If you’re a fan of fellow musicians such as Jimmy Eat World, Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Weezer, then keep an eye out for ‘Dork Matter’ becoming available on Soundcloud. - Tattoo.com

Back in the day, Weezer was one of the first bands to reckon that there was an audience for their unique sound. This included lyrical content that touched base on Dungeons and Dragons, The X-Men, and chaps named Jonas. Pioneers of a type of ‘nerd rock’ in a time when almost everything they sang about wasn’t anywhere near cool. Now that we’ve seen a nearly 180-degree cultural shift, we start seeing bands like The Thirds releasing albums titled “Dork Matter”, and creating content not only for their fellow nerd brothers and sisters but for those who a craving something different.

The upstate New York trio made up of Chris Saporito and JJ Padovani, (both of whom play triple duty on Vocals, Bass, and Guitar) and Drummer Cody Lengel undoubtedly pay tributes to bands like Weezer in both the general sound and feeling. This homage is especially noticeable in track two “Say A Few”, which evokes feelings of the legendary band’s ‘Blue Album’ in more ways than one.

Through the six tracks, both of which could be classified as interludes, we’re only looking at a total of about 15 minutes of music. It’s not necessarily enough to develop a full-fledged opinion of whether the band destined for great things, but it’s enough to state that we’re intrigued enough to keep an eye on them.

Click around at the links below for an idea of what we’ve got here. We will leave you to make your own conclusions with these guys, because like Weezer in the beginning, they might not be for everyone, but maybe they’ll impress everyone.

Track List:
1. Buncha Nerds (Instrumental / Sound Collage)
2. Say A Few
3. Statue of Limitations
4. Miracle Metal (Instrumental / Sound Collage)
5. Maybe
6. Antimatter


By Scott Alexander - Abort Mag

Dork rock is an underperformed and underappreciated sub-genre, as far as I’m concerned. While Weezer remains very popular and has never let go of their dorky tendencies, so few other acts embrace their inner dork the way that Rivers and company do. However, the history of dork rock is a great one. You’ve got great dork bands in the punk scene, including the godfathers of pop punk themselves, The Descendants. Bands like Five Iron Frenzy, Piebald, and several others carried the torch in the underground for years, but it’s important for new voices to rise up and grab that torch in the modern era.

Enter The Thirds, upstate NY’s heir to the dork rock throne. Their attitude and sound remind me a great deal of a greater Philly area band I listened to in the early 00s called Squirt – whose “Do or Do Not” remains in somewhat heavy rotation for me to this day. The Thirds are unapologetically nerdy and brimming with dorkiness. Their latest, a 6 track EP called Dork Matter, presents them as a strong contender to introduce a new generation to the wonder of dork rock.

Dork Matter – also known as the Antimatter/Maybe/Dork Matter EP – features 4 songs and 2 “sound collages”. The collages feature music and sound clips, the first being the introductory track to the album (“Buncha Nerds”) and the other being smack dab in the middle of the songs, as track 4 (“Miracle Metal”). Both of the collage tracks serve as interesting companion pieces to the songs, though the songs are really where the EP makes its bones. With musical influences and qualities reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr., The Pixies, and Pavement, the band would definitely fit in with any number of 90s bands or 90s influences acts from today. The nerdy lyrical content is presented with perfection, with a vocal sound that is not too dissimilar from someone like Five Iron Frenzy’s Reese Roper. The resulting product is dork rock perfection with lo-fi production and catchy sing-along songs.

The new EP does just enough to let the world know that The Thirds are here and are ready to fight for the crown to be called the new kings of dork rock. However, with only 6 tracks and only 4 full songs, it leaves you wanting more. So, check out the EP and watch their video entry to the NPR Tiny Desk 2018 competition below. The track, “Maybe”, is on the EP and the video is a great place to start if you want to get the feel for what these dorks are all about. - The Farsighted

One thing I love about listening to types of Rock music is the freedom I feel. The jarring lyrics paired with expressional rifts and wails and oscillating drum and guitar solos are just some of the things that excite me about this genre. Creating the perfect soundtrack to a mosh pit, a rowdy party, or just for those times when you need to rock-out, there’s always a song that will get you just right. For the band The Thirds’, their new EP ‘Dork Matter’ exposits those feelings and more.

The trio hailing from Oneonta, New York have been making music since 2015, and all of their past production is found on their Bandcamp. On the band’s Facebook page a foreshadowing highlight of their new EP ‘Dork Matter’ saying it’s “filled with melancholic themes and Speedy Ortiz/Led Zeppelin riffery.” While the band also alludes to touching base on themes such as self-worth, anxiety, regret, and confusion, they sternly keep the outlandishly harmonic style within their songs. With members Chris Saporito and JJ Padovani on guitar, bass, and vocals, and Cody Lengel wielding on drums, the band emits its self-proclaimed Indie/Alt Rock/Whatevercore sound. The six-track project is a sonic fusion of sounds like a cosmic realm. The two tracks ‘Buncha Nerds’ and ‘Miracle Metal’ are commingled sound collages that exhilarate the other tenacious guitar hooks, quivering bass lines, passionate vocals, and atrabilious, fast-paced drums.

Songs like ‘Say A Few’ gives light to a great tandem of beach boy, Indie-Rock seaside vibes meeting high-voltage energy. Fervid vocals parade on the limber-tempo groove ‘Maybe’ as the heavy drums are the most efficacious of the instrumental. ‘Statue of Limitations’ comes on strong with a rhetorical question: ‘Suppose, if I could rescue me from my mistakes?’ as the track stands on vocals about misery, fear, and more cavorting over a chord-powered tune.

The Thirds close their new project with their debut single ‘Antimatter’. The track released on May 25 and it gives just some insight to the band’s bustling yet melodic prowess. Keeping a sound attributable to the Indie-Rock, Pseudo-Punk, alternative core family, the stimulating jams, sound amalgamations, and the enthusiastically rousing project is undoubtedly worth a listen. - GrungeCake