https://youtu.be/AiQ8vYiXMLk

Third Class Find Peace in Nostalgia on 'Reprise'

By Rick Polo (The Raw Alternative)

Back in 2017, Youngstown-based Indie Rock powerhouse Third Class released what was arguably their defining record, Virginia's Playlist. Much in the tradition of Sgt. Pepper or Dark Side of the Moon, the record was a clear indicator of an established act beginning to harness the height of their power. An artist who has reached a creative point by which all that came before was indicative of where it would end up, and all that is to follow will be measured by.

Undeniable is the emotional intensity and creative tsunami that Third Class unleashed during those Virginia's Playlist studio sessions in late 2016. And as the inspiration was following, the band decided to take a step back and revisit some key material from earlier in their nearly two-decade career at that point.

This year, Third Class has decided to share those brief sessions-within-sessions via the Reprise EP. The EP features stripped-down piano-based versions of popular tracks 'Nursery,' 'The Glue is Starting to Crack' and 'Demons Outside.' But what begins as a somber stroll down memory lane quickly finds a life of its own.

Opening is 'Nursery,' which first appears on the band's 2009 record The Red Wheelbarrow, and features the joyful yet haunting piano that fills much of Virginia's Playlist. The Reprise version slows the pace slightly, offering a truly alternate take but with the same longing and emotion, told from a greater distance, but without losing any of the original heart and intent.

From there, 'The Glue is Starting to Crack' offers a similar approach. The line "Reality demands you to be into more diversity" serves as a perfect example of the agelessness off this track, originally found on 2007's Chloe's Epitaph is Chloe. This is yet another welcomed stripped-down alternate version of one of Third Class' up-tempo rockers.

Reprise concludes with 'Demons Outside,' from the 12 and 9 EP of 2011. While the original boasts a hard-rocking Psychedelic/Baroque Pop sound reminiscent of Grizzly Bear or of Montreal, the Reprise version offers an impressive entirely new vibe. Equally powerful to its counterpart, the track serves as a perfect climax/conclusion to each respective record.