CNTS

Thoughts and Prayers (2024)

John Gentile

Thoughts & Prayers is something of a macabre rebirth for CNTS. Obviously, the title is sardonic and it’s probably related to what caused the band’s resurrection. Between 2019’s self-titled release and this album, singer Matt Cronk was involved in a basty car accident where his vocals chords were severely damaged- to the point where he couldn’t talk, and then, even when he could , people couldn’t understand him.

But then, in a paradoxically miraculous event, his vocal chords healed despite that all of his doctors were pretty sure he was going to be severely jacked up for life. On the title track, “Cronk” embodies a sort of human-fury, hounding people (maybe himself) with bad omens and bad luck. He then hisses, “keep me in your thoughts and prayers.” Indeed, a negative vibe and hatred of humanity is laced through the record. This is interesting, because usually, when people have near death experiences, the revelation is usually “appreciate every day, life is wonderful.” Here, Cronk, details getting slammed to the ground and then, instead of seeing some sort of enlightenment, just snarls about how pissed off he is at himself, the universe, and its implied he’s mad at the Big Guy, though he doesn’t detail if he things the Big Guy is real or just a metaphor for the torment of the human condition. It’s all wonderfully bleak.

The band sprints and crushes along in a cadence that switches between hardcore and noise-rock. “Junkie” has a grunge click-clack and huge riffage that looks through the eyes of a junkie with some parts empathy, but a lot more parts disdain. If you have ever worked with an addict in the middle of their deepest addiction, you can commiserate. By contrast, “I won’t work for you,” the opening tack, is a full on punk charge with the band complaining about having a boss that is a dick. Both of these angles underscore the band’s new approach. Where they used to obscure their meaning behind a poetic obliqueness, now they are full on direct literal. That is, true rage, true angst, true frustration, is often best voiced directly and not behind some Byron-esque twirling. The band hits hard. Oh, they also have a track called “For a good time (don’t call her)” where I’m not sure if they are saluting Depeche Mode or mocking them. It’s a fun and unexpected diversion.

Yet, the group always returns to the low, hard, crushing riffage and pissed off perspective. The band, throughout the album, stomps through all manner of bad things and annoyances that happen to most or all of us. As Cronk says on the pummeling closing track, “every pious man pointing a finger is guilty/ everyone claiming to be clean is filthy.” So, that begs a question that the band asks but doesn’t answer- are they detailing the chaos and brutality of the world in a way that most people are too scared to acknowledge… or does a negative mindset beget a negative life?