Atlantic Thrills - Vices (2015)

“Indulgence” and “excess” must be scribbled somewhere in the guidelines section of the rock and roll handbook. These concepts of going full-bore have been evidenced in everything from hair metal acts to rowdy country crooners. In the truest way possible, Rhode Island’s Atlantic Thrills exude this ethos. After guitarist Dan Tanner survived a near fatal car accident, the band’s press release says he rehabilitated with “a guitar in his hand, whiskey in his lungs, and hashish in his veins.” That’s basically the recipe for a badass rock and roll record right there.

It’s safe to say that Atlantic Thrills know a thing or two about the rough-and-tumble rocker lifestyle. Now, they’re paying proper tribute to it with their sophomore album, Vices, out December 4th via Almost Ready Records. Each song not only feels like a snapshot of their own wild lives, but plays like an homage to their raucous predecessors.


The band jumps between genres with reckless abandon, throwing out garage and surf rock licks on opener “Live for the Weekend”, then brandishing punk snark on the devilish “Bible in a Bowl”. Even when they slow things down on the bluesy closer “Trouble in My Mind”, the band feels like they’re crawling across the bar floor for one more shot and one last pool cue brawl. It’s a invigorating journey into the madness of guitar-driven rock music, holding back none of the gritty details.

For all the record’s brashness, however, it’s the result of a diligent three-piece executing at the top of their game. “It’s a diverse album that goes from poppy gospel melodies to surfy ballads to dark psychedelia,” the band tells Consequence of Sound. “The recording itself has a bigger, more layered sound without sacrificing any of the grit and raw energy of our previous releases.”