Kent’s Favorite Bar Band: Thought Mass

Thought Mass’s appearance on kentcore was extremely memorable as my first time seeing the show live. Their corduroy-clad lead singer, head banging drummer and dancing bassist added to the feel and sound they brought into the studio.

The band’s energy was almost tangible during their performance – my eyes were glued to the group the entire time they played. You would never guess bass player Sam Colgrove was quiet for most of the interview based on how he plays. It was amazing to see the members feed off each other’s energy.

hought Mass is the product of three inspired musicians and long-lasting mutual friendships. The three members of the group have known each other all throughout grade school. Lead vocals and guitar player, Ian Palmerton, said he wanted to make music and then collaborated with Sam.

“We’ve all played music with and around each other for a while,” Ian said. “ Thought Mass is like my thing primarily and Sam helped me. It was just me wanting to put songs out that I was writing. [At first] it wasn’t really about being a band.”

The group released two albums in 2019 featuring that duo. Their first albums “Good Sink in the New Vacuum” and “Pleasant Trees and Pushovers” do not feature drums. Thought Mass released their self-titled album featuring all three members in March 2021. This is the group’s third album, but the first with their drummer Garet Greitzer.

“We had our own projects over time while still being mutual friends,” Garet said.

“And we just got together eventually,” Ian said.

They credited Ian with most of the songwriting credits, with a few given to Sam as well. It didn’t surprise me when they explained how just one of their groovy psychedelic tunes can take months to finish.

“[Our] music is: someone will bring an idea and we’ll try and turn it into a song,” Ian explained.

“We’ll start really basic and as the months go by it’ll increase in sophistication,” Sam said.

“Yeah, the more you play them, the more complex you want them to be, the more they evolve,” Ian said.

The trio said they are sitting on an album’s worth of new music and guarantees fans will see new music by the end of the year.

“We’re making a promise, a pledge,” Ian said.

Garet adds, “This is a kentcore exclusive!”

The group’s Spotify features their latest album and the other two can be found on Bandcamp. While Thought Mass was originally not on social media, they have recently created a Twitter account where they update fans on gigs and events. They can be found on Instagram and Twitter @thoughtmass or floating around the local bars in Kent.

Photos:Liam Morrison

Designs: Jacob Gran