Thrice have released a re-recorded version of their 2003 scene classic The Artist In The Ambulance. Streaming now, The Artist In The Ambulance (Revisited) features reworkings of every song on the record, bringing them more in line with the way the band performs the tracks live in their current state.
The Artist In The Ambulance (Revisited) also features guest appearances from a variety of established acts including Sam Carter of Architects (Under A Killing Moon), Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra (Stare At The Sun), Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music (Blood Clots and Black Holes) and Ryan Osterman of Holy Fawn (Paper Tigers).
Reflecting on the decision to re-record the record and release it to the public, frontman Dustin Kensrue revealed to Spin that they wanted to offer fans a more faithful representation of what they intended the songs to sound like while showcasing the ways in which the songs have grown over the last 20 years of live performance.
"Maybe it’s all in our head, but it seems like it’s a touchstone piece for us — which is weird because the next record was a turning point for us as well. We felt rushed when we made the record, and we were really excited about having Andy Wallace mix it, but it didn’t really go the way that we thought it was going to go. As we’ve played these songs over the last 20 years, when we hear the recorded version again, it’s like ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so stiff.’ We didn’t know how to record or how to translate our live energy into a record, so there were multiple issues with it."
“We thought it’d be fun to not try to go back and reinvent everything, but let the songs breathe the way that we play them live,” Kensrue continues in the Spin feature. "We didn’t want it to be something where we change one thing and it sounds odd to someone who’s been listening to it for 20 years, but we also didn’t want to be like, ‘What is this thing now? It’s not even the same record.’ I feel like we found a way through the middle of those two.”
The release is part of the band's ongoing celebrations for the 20th anniversary of The Artist In The Ambulance. Those celebrations include a full touring cycle where they're playing the album in its entirety. That tour is set to visit Australia later this year. Speaking to Kill Your Stereo upon the tour announcement, Kensrue expressed his excitement at returning to Australia to play The Artist In The Ambulance.
“Some of our favourite memories of touring in Australia are from the first time we toured The Artist In The Ambulance there. There was such a great energy to those shows and we can’t wait to do it again.”
Listen to The Artist In The Ambulance (Revisited)
The Artist In The Ambulance is one of a number of influential albums celebrating a 20th anniversary in 2023 including Linkin Park's Meteora, AFI's Sing The Sorrow, Evanescence's Fallen, blink-182's blink-182, Lamb Of God's As The Palaces Burn and Avenged Sevenfold's Waking The Fallen.
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