Doomed Confessionary: Grégoire Fray (Thot)
Photo by Micheal Thiel
Brussel, Belgium based industrial, post-rock collective Thot just released their fourth full-length album »Delta« on May 10th, 2024 through Berlin’s Pelagic Records.
Like so many projects begun in and around 2019, »Delta« was derailed by the pandemic, with the first iteration of the album scrapped entirely due to creative differences amplified by enforced social distancing. Band leader and principal songwriter Grégoire Fray, born in France but based in Belgium, found himself back at the beginning; now questioning his identity as an artist in the wake of such monumental events.
Channelling his despondency through Thot’s playful twist on chronological time, this crisis of faith became the catalyst for »Delta«s new shape. Fray found himself returning to the old recurring question of why he never sang in his mother tongue. Previously frustrated by its incompatibility with the Anglo-American guitar music he loved, Grégoire now found himself intrigued by his French’s fluidity when paired alongside English lyrics too.
Written, arranged, recorded and documented between late 2019 and 2023 by Fray alongside Thot collaborators Lukas Melville, Gil Chevingné, Stéphane Fedele, Anaïs Elba, Michael Thiel and Juliette Mauduit; »Delta« is as much a product of the band’s past as it is their present.
It also features a true collaboration with the women of Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, an iconic Bulgarian traditional polyphonic choir previously sampled by Thot as well as the voice of award-winning Czech singer-songwriter Lenka Dusilová, who Fray met by chance through friends on the road.
The album is a shifting collage of people, places, past and present, all stirred by Thot’s renowned grasp of cinematic, post-rock dynamics and cold-wave electronic orchestration.
Can you say a few words about your band?
As you might know, Thot is a band, or better, a collective existing in constant flux, thriving in the tumultuous melting pot of modern life.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Stay put together despite of all the uncertainty that the covid brought to the music.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Our latest album »Delta« and the collaboration with The Mystery of The Bulgarian Voices.
What was your biggest regret?
No regrets. Only decisions.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Our first show in the Czech Republic in 2011 (in Prague) is one of my favourite ever.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
»The Fragile« by Nine Inch Nails. Such an awakening experience!
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
A lots of music electronic such at Rival Consoles or Indian Wells.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Don’t take my advice and follow your heart.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Baking chocolate brownies.
Can you say something more about the music scene in Brussel / Belgium?
The Brussels music scene has some kind post-covid renewal and it’s exciting to see so many new bands feeding the scene with their motivation and inspiration.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
In August, we will at ArcTangent (Bristol, UK) and at the Pelagic Festival (Maastrich, NL)
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Tour as much as we can and write another album in the next 2 years.
How can people best support your band?
Buying our merch (vinyls/cd/tees) is of course the best thing to do.
Sharing our music is always welcome too!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Write to us, tell where you are from and why you like our music, your stories are always inspiring!
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well