Thousand Below walk a fine, almost illusory line. Deftly balancing atmospheric and airy instrumentation, thoughtful emotionality, and just the right amount of hard-hitting hypnosis, the Southern California quintet—James DeBerg [vocals], Josh Thomas [guitar], Josh Billimoria [bass], and —descend into the dreamy depths of loss, love, and life reflected in art on their full-length debut, The Love You Let Too Close [Rise Records].
They first harnessed that energy in early 2016. After amicably parting ways with Outlands, the frontman quietly kept writing music. One day, Thomas presented him some demos of “these pretty sad jams,” and they dove headfirst into a collaboration together. Blindwish guitarist Chance joined the fold next followed by Billmoria and Halvax as the boys hit a San Diego studio to record. Rise Records became entranced by the initial output as well as the cinematic, self-funded video for “Tradition” and offered the band a deal. Handpicking the collaborative team, they finished recording with producer Sebastian Rizo, enlisting the mixing talents of Andreas Magnusson [Fit For A King] and Kris Crummett [Sleeping With Sirens, Issues] for mastering.
Over this rich sonic backdrop, DeBerg openly explores the suicide of his best friend and its aftermath on The Love You Let Too Close.