THYMIAN – Unintentional
With «Unintentional», Swiss post-punk artist THYMIAN premieres his last single from the upcoming EP «White Knuckled».
Amid a global pandemic, one genre made a surprising return: post-punk. Spearheaded by Molchat Doma's Судно, a track that went viral on TikTok, the sound matched the world's state of doom and gloom. And we suddenly observed a rise in popularity far beyond the Goth subculture, where post-punk echoed the years prior.
However, it was not just a brief momentum. New bands and artists dusted off the quintessential 80s sound and slapped on a new coat of concrete greys and midnight blacks.
One of these artists' names is Josip Tijan, aka THYMIAN. With the self-titled EP, he made his debut, featuring the still most-played song, Composure. The early sound's minimalism had already started to fade in 2021's album Rhythm of Doubt.
But THYMIAN's signature had always been his stylistic baritone vocals—some people loved it, some were easily annoyed by the performance. However, the musician demonstrated a less constrained, more natural way of singing on stage.
While THYMIAN moved his sound from post-punk's sparseness to a lush blend of wave and synth-pop, he also focused his vocal performance on melody. The result is stunning: In both already published singles, Sentimental and Kozmos, he reminds me of Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan.
Today, we exclusively host the premiere of Unintentional, the third and last single from THYMIAN's upcoming EP, White Knuckled, which will be released on May 17.
Why can't I be different, why do I rely on, something special, one-dimensional
Why can't I be different, why do I deny, something special, unintentional
Unintentional overwhelms you with its densely layered composition yet remains deeply driven by vast synths and melody. It is a hymn to one's irrelevance and the urge to tune out of everyday life.
But there's a dark undertone rooted in personal experience: Alcohol as a coping mechanism for ever-increasing stress led THYMIAN down a vicious path, only interrupted by a traumatic experience. So, Unintentional is less an ode to hedonism but, at its core, a cautionary tale.
Dug a hole, before my eyes I can feel it, underneath it, I am leaving
Despite the sombre subject, THYMIAN displays a new and exciting side in Unintentional. He never sounded bigger; a song filled with refined urgency and verve.
