Thursday is an American post-hardcore band that formed in 1997 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The band consists of Geoff Rickly on lead vocals, Tom Keeley on lead guitar and backing vocals, Steve Pedulla on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Tim Payne on bass, and Tucker Rule on drums.
Over their career, the band released six full-length albums that blended intense post-hardcore, emotional lyrics, and experimental elements. The band’s music was influential in shaping the post-hardcore and emo genres in the 2000s.
Early Years of Thursday (1997-2001)
When Thursday first started out in the late 1990s, the band consisted of Rickly, Keeley, Payne, Rule, and original guitarist Bill Henderson. They began playing shows in basements around New Jersey and New York. Thursday’s first official release came in 1999, when they partnered with MP3.com to put out the 1999 Summer Tour EP featuring early versions of songs that would appear on their debut album.
Thursday’s debut full-length, Waiting, arrived on December 6, 1999 via local label Eyeball Records. In 2001, after Henderson departed and was replaced by Steve Pedulla, the band signed with independent label Victory Records. Their second album Full Collapse, released later that year, reached #178 on the Billboard 200 chart as the band’s profile grew.
Thursday Signs to Island Records for War All the Time (2002-2005)
In 2002, Thursday landed a major label deal with Island Records after a bidding war. The move to Island enabled them to reach a wider audience, but also led to tensions with Victory, who still had a contract claim for their next two releases.
The band’s third album and Island debut, War All the Time, arrived in September 2003 and marked their commercial breakthrough. Featuring new member Andrew Everding on keyboards, the album reached #7 on the Billboard 200. Hit singles “Signals Over the Air” and “War All the Time” received significant airplay, though the latter’s video was banned by MTV for controversial imagery.
To support War All the Time, Thursday toured extensively with bands like AFI, Thrice and Coheed and Cambria. However, burnout from constant touring led the group to take a hiatus in 2004. They returned in 2005 for a string of shows, including a performance to save legendary NYC venue CBGB that was webcast live.
A City By the Light Divided and Common Existence (2006-2010)
In May 2006, the band issued their fourth album A City By the Light Divided, again via Island. Produced by Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Sleater-Kinney), the album found Thursday evolving their sound in an artsier, more experimental direction. It performed well commercially too, with singles “Counting 5-4-3-2-1” and “At This Velocity” both charting.
Thursday parted ways with Island in 2007 and went on touring hiatus, emerging only for occasional one-off shows, holiday performances and a release of the CD/DVD compilation Kill the House Lights. In late 2008, they announced a new deal with renowned indie label Epitaph Records.
The band’s Epitaph debut Common Existence landed in February 2009. Produced by Fridmann, the album saw Thursday re-energized and featured some of Rickly’s most personal and poetic lyrics to date. However, touring behind the album proved challenging, with the band getting poor receptions opening for younger acts like Bring Me the Horizon.
No Devolución and First Breakup (2011-2015)
For their sixth album, Thursday once again teamed with Fridmann. Released in April 2011, No Devolución found the band taking their music in a moodier, more atmospheric direction heavily inspired by post-rock and shoegaze. It would prove to be their final album, as in November 2011 Thursday announced an indefinite hiatus.
As Rickly later clarified in a 2013 interview with Noisey, this hiatus was in fact a breakup. Thursday had disbanded under the strain of interpersonal conflict and members’ desires to pursue other projects. Rickly formed the band No Devotion, while Rule stayed busy as a touring and session drummer for various acts.
Thursday’s Reunion and Final Shows (2016-2019)
In early 2016, Thursday shocked fans by announcing they were reuniting to play Riot Fest in Denver and Chicago that fall. The lineup featured all six members from their 2003-2011 heyday. Thursday booked more reunion gigs in 2017, including a holiday homecoming show in NJ and a headlining set at Northside Festival in Brooklyn.
However, in late 2018 Thursday declared that their reunion would soon come to an end, culminating with a March 2019 show at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn. As Keeley told Brooklyn Vegan, the decision stemmed from the challenges of scheduling shows with members busy with other commitments. The band aimed to end the reunion on a high note after achieving closure.
Thursday’s Enduring Legacy
2021 saw Thursday return to full activity and headline events like Riot Fest. They also released virtual performances and a Bruce Springsteen cover while touring alongside longtime contemporaries Taking Back Sunday as well as acts they influenced like Piebald.
Thursday’s three-decade career established them as archetype for earnest, progressive underground rock in the 2000s. Both Geoff Rickly and the band as a whole have come to be regarded as key figures within post-hardcore, emo and alternative rock – influencing countless bands who followed in their wake.
Their dynamic, cathartic songs left an indelible impact and continue to resonate with fans today. As Rickly stated to Alternative Press, Thursday’s mission was to move people, give them “music to lean on,” and “make them feel less alone.” Few bands accomplished those lofty goals more vividly.
