TRSH exists in the tension between extremes, a tightrope walk that’s volatile and unpredictable yet built on intentional detail. The Springfield, MO-founded quartet’s fusion of punk and Midwest emo has cemented them as one of the brightest young acts in the underground, with releases like their 2022 debut LP, Kiss Me and breakthrough single “Dad Rock” racking up more than 15 million collective streams.
Now, on their new album, String Theory, their first for Wax Bodega, Derek Berry (vocals/guitar), Keiran Andrews (bass), Bowen Pennell (drums) and Gunnar Pennell (guitar) unleash their most explosive collection yet, equal parts introspective and irreverent and topped off with powder-keg energy and self-deprecating charm. Tracks like the fervent first single “dusty,” galloping “drown
me in a bathtub” and pained “hyperpop killed my dog” are transparently honest portraits of fucking up and falling short: bad decisions that felt right at the time, awkward apologies and late-night spirals. The moments when you should shut up but the voice in your head won’t let you stop talking.
They’re all delivered in raucous form, in sub-two-minute bursts of intricate technicality while retaining the energy that’s made TRSH’s live show the stuff of legends – where the gap between the group and their audience disappears and there’s no telling whether frontman Derek Berry will end up in the crowd or hidden deep behind dozens of fans who climb onstage to scream along with his cathartic words.
