Our favourite multilingual, authentically South African Indie Rock Quartet, Thabo and The Crows, are back to take us on a multidimensional sonic journey with the release of their debut album ‘This Is The Medicine’. Following on from where last year’s self-titled debut EP left off, the album is hard to confine to a genre as it weaves through a wide range of sounds and emotional themes.

Frontman Thabo Krouwkam‘s powerful storytelling is on showcase throughout the project as he weaves compelling narratives that deal with a wide spectrum of subjects spanning from resistance and world conflict, to spiritual exploration and love. He is backed up superbly by his talented band members with Daniel Paulse on Drums, Faghri Hendricks on lead guitar, and Tyron Barlow-Kearsley on bass. 

The opening track ‘Alhamdulilah‘ is a droning bass-driven Psych Rock with an intricate Tool-esque structure to its build up. Thabo’s whispered chorus of “Wake up, wake up, wake” urges the listener to rise from their metaphorical slumber before repeated chanting of “Alhamdulilah (praise be to God)” as an opening meditation/prayer to intro the album.

On the third track, lovestruck ballad ‘Run Cowboy Run‘, the album dips into a softer, melodic sound. Thabo’s deeper vocals are perfectly complimented by featured artist Aimee Harriet’s delicate yet soulful voice, and the layering of their voices make for a magnetic combination.

Lead single and fifth track of the album ‘Bietjie Vreemd‘ is an upbeat and energetic Alternative Rock track about Thabo meeting a strange woman and his love for Afrikaans. His vocals are alternately impassioned and dry, complimented by Vir Nou Net Mage‘s sultry vocals, which provide a great balance with lyricism that is both sincere and at times hilarious, with lines like “Of was dit ‘n wintersnag? Met Karen, Koos, Gert Vlok en Fokof.”

The following track ‘Niks Is Vir Altyd Nie‘ is an acoustically driven tearjerker. The story of yearning is powerfully told through Thabo’s ballad with Megan Lange is hard not to be moved by, especially as they sing “Ek het gedroom dat ons vir ewig saam was Dat jou lyf naby my was. En hierdie open relating net ‘n fase was” (I dreamed that we were together forever. That your body was close to mine. And that this open relationship was just a phase).

The closing track ‘Ceasefire‘ is a cathartic Rage Against The Machine-esque expression of anger at injustice as well as an affirmation of love and healing. Worcester rapper zee@eez, who also featured on Molo Sisi on the ‘Thabo and The Crows’ EP, returns with a bar-filled feature which adds some humour to keep the track from becoming too heavy.

‘This is The Medicine‘ finds Thabo and The Crows‘ soaring to new heights with having further refined their sound while continuing to push boundaries. Whilst Thabo‘s societal critique and takes on spirituality are poignant are a real strongpoint of the album for me are the more emotional and lovelorn tracks, in particular the four-track sequence from ‘Run Cowboy Run‘ to ‘Niks is vir altyd nie‘.

This exploration of the many different ways we experience love and loss adds another dimension to Thabo’s already impactful songwriting. I highly recommend giving this album a listen if you’re looking for a local Rock album with an out of the box sound, captivating storytelling, and a sound that veers from Tame Impala to Spoegwolf to Rage Against The Machine.