Count the Thief

Count The Thief – New Role – Album Review

There are qualities that are undoubtedly as captivating and stand out to your eardrums as they are to mine that will grab you instantly as “Lights” starts this new album from Bangkok-based band Count The Thief begins the intense experience of their New Role. I’m just going to come out and say it early – this is a band that you’ll know the name of within these next five years. There is a phenomenally smart, energetic-creativity here that has led them to some truly beautiful & emotionally-charged moments and “Lights” is every bit the proof you need coming at you quickly right off the drop as frantic as the scattered moments of having a heart-attack and searching everywhere for the phone to call 911.

Actually…someone go ahead and make that call for me if you could; I plan to overdose on Count The Thief-music this week at some point; may as well send them over and on their way…

As “Vintage” began, I realized it was Minus The Bear that this band has reminded me of most. I am a HUGE fan of Minus The Bear…and as much as I’ve personally defended their vocals over time; that has always been the constant battle. Whether it’s been my own ears; or a friend I’ve tried to convince…it’s always come down to the vocals in Minus The Bear not being QUITE there. Listening to “Vintage” I can’t help but hear pretty much everything I’ve ever wanted to hear from that band, only now done perfectly here by Count The Thief. Large kudos to bassist/vocalist Danny Duncombe…if this guy ever needs assurance of his place in music, please send him my way for a complete confirmation. I love his tone and he’s fitting the songs absolutely flawlessly.

PLUS – there’s a major added benefit! Having a bass-player being your singer can do such extraordinary things for your guitar player so typically fronting the bands out there, and the title-track proves this theory beyond compare. Canadian-born guitar player Dave Lefor just unleashes the BEAST on this song and riffs this one into the stratosphere. “New Role” is a complete masterpiece and puts ALL of the incredible abilities and power of this band right there on immaculate display. I was massively blown away by this album’s centerpiece…so very often a title-track will let you down slightly with a track that’s meaningful but not played extraordinarily at all, or vice-versa; but not this time out. If my speakers could smile, dammit, they’d be in a full-beam of radiance right now with their hair all messed up.

“Mother Tongue,” is another fantastic follow-up as the album continues. I really latched onto the dramatic nature of their music and this particular cut ranges all over their map of sound. Even in the quiet moments, this band is furiously intense; when they light it up in their heaviest moments, you’ll completely ignore the rest of the world and just listen. “Mother Tongue” has an epic ending I just can’t get enough of, is a real highlight for drummer Toby Willems and keeps the energy alive and well in the middle of this album.

Duncombe spits another fireworks display into the microphone as “Bring Up The Bodies,” rolls along. The music is at its most intense on this one and another standout track for Willems as this track rips, stutters, starts and stops with beyond-pro precision and timing. They never let up; and even towards the very end of this track you’ll be convinced they’re about to take the song for another victory lap around the arena as it decides to fade out and break way for the down-tempo beginning of “Exchange/Replace.” Trading off vocals with Willems in backup, Duncombe brings pop-sensibilities to any of these tracks making them palatable in a brand-new way for your ears. This second to last cut out of their seven new songs is a real moment in time and sure is an indication of a band with a lot on their minds & hearts, and a group that is intensely committed to their craft and moving together completely as one single entity. All of the music of Count The Thief has sounded incredibly unified throughout New Role and I can’t personally express just how rewarding it is to hear such strong bonds audibly through the music like you can here on this album.

As the final song “86” starts out, Duncombe reveals quickly that he’s saved some of his absolute best melodies here for the ending of the album; his tone has been maximized and every note from every word trips out flawlessly into the music. Excellent guitar ideas once again driving the song, contributing, expanding and breaking around the intensity of the drums from Willems and bass from Duncombe in a quality last track to end an experience that has revolved around excellence the entire time.

The only disadvantage I can hear at all, is that the closest comparison I can come to is Minus The Bear. For many of you out there, you’re already thinking to yourselves ‘who’s this minus bear guy?’ and more than likely aren’t familiar with THAT catalogue…and that’s a slight but not dominating concern if at all. Although the music is similar in energy, sound and style, there’s pretty much no competition here when you compare the vocals of Count The Thief to what Minus The Bear does.

Count The Thief has clearly evolved a sound here on their own and found a way to bring it to that next level where ears will readily accept it. This is a very exciting sound performed perfectly all the way through and I am massively raising up my expectations for this highly-skilled band as of right now. I hear real leadership and conviction in this music…I hear a band that is more-than-ready for their time to take place; one that is finely-tuned up and ready to stake their own claim in our music’s history-books and audio-files. Give this band a little more time and a couple more albums under their belt to help spread the word on their incredibly catchy & innovative rock and I can pretty much guarantee you’ll find one of those recordings in any house you’ll walk into over these next five years.

Find out more from their official page at: http://www.countthethief.com - Jer - Sleepingbag Studios

Count the Thief is a Bangkok-based progressive indie-rock trio who have been playing throughout South East Asia but with large aspirations, Count the Thief is continually preparing for shows and travels. Members Danny Duncombe (Bass and Vocals) and Toby Willems (Drums and Vocals) are from the UK, while guitarist Dave Lefor is Canadian.

Count the Thief met in Bangkok in late 2013, and in the space of a year and a half, they have garnered attention from an international mix of artists and fans. They are always experimenting with new sounds and arrangements, and are always looking for new opportunities worldwide. Count the Thief released their studio debut, ‘New Role’ on March 1, 2015.

Count the Thief has injected a potent breath of fresh air with its 7-track debut effort, ‘New Role’. The record doesn’t overpower the listener. It has a fully energized quietness, a subtlety that makes it nearly impossible to fully appreciate on first listen. But with each subsequent listen, its layers are uncovered, slowly and deliciously.

Count The Thief
Count The Thief
Count the Thief define a whole new outlook on guitar driven rock songs and the romanticism of the vocalist. They capture an entirely new way of looking at how a rock album can be written. It is an album of extremes, from soft and sweet melodious singing to crashing feats of guitar distortion. It has the dynamics of progressive rock, but without the unnecessary lard usually encased in rather fat fits of grandeur displayed in most rock-with-a-point records.

‘New Role’ capitalizes on the power of subtlety and quiet heaviness. The whole album is amazing from front to back, not just in the songwriting and arrangement, but down to the very mixing and clarity of the instrumentation. The range of emotions explored on throughout the tracks is astounding and effective while the frequent juxtaposition of harshness and beauty works incredibly well, especially on the first track, “Lights”.

The spectrum of melody and experimentation is broadened in the single, “Vintage” holding its own quiet force of deafening emotion. Dave Lefor really is the driving force of this masterpiece, his almost peregrine guitar rhythms and melodies create a very addictive aura within the album- you never know what he is going to throw at you next, like on “New Role” and “Mother Tongue” -which really emphasizes the incredible songwriting on this album.

Danny Duncombe’s vocals and bass playing is at a remarkable level, and fit perfectly with the mood of each song, while drummer Toby Willems builds the bold, off -axis beats into dramatic soundscapes. Overall, the band’s playing somehow maintains a rawness and primal intensity, while the achieved sound is almost flawless and smooth. Hypnotic bass and drum rhythms mix with guitar sounds that are alternately peaceful and aggressive. Then add in the vocals with dream-like lyrics and you get an all-around awesome record.

As moods shape-shift from the sepia-toned “86” and “Exchange/Replace”, to the Baroquely scaled, up-tempo “Bring Up The Bodies” with its rolling drums and driven bass lines, the listener becomes aware of how the sound of a musical and lyrical maturity, that normally doesn’t occur until a band’s third or fourth album, is right here in ‘New Role’ !

Count the Thief is proof positive that rock has plenty of life and vision left in it yet. - Rick Jamm - Jamsphere

Count the Thief’s “New Role” is an emotive, heart-wrenchingly beautiful album. Their work builds up until it bursts forth with fire. Able to capture the quiet introspective moments and the loud passionate moments, they display an impressive range. A distinctive driving rhythm is behind it moving the entire thing forward while it becomes a sum greater than the sum of its parts. Vocals are perfect further emphasizing the romanticism that colors much of the album.

Anticipatory drumming introduces “Light” opening the album up on a strong note. Neatly balanced between the muscular rhythms and the nimble guitar/vocal work, the song is incredibly catchy. Offering a mellower atmosphere is the relatively light work of “Vintage”. Quieter still is the breezy summer-vibe inflected sounds of “New Role” which at times feel highly reminiscent of early Sea and Cake albums. For a finale they pull out all the stops resulting in an absolute frenzied rush of sound. Louder and slightly more exuberant is the giddy cheer of “Bring Up the Bodies”. “Exchange/Replace” opts for a middle ground between their louder impulses and their penchant for introspection. Ending things off on an absolute rush is the subtle work of “86”.


Best taken in as a whole, “New Role” offers a view of a band that is able to take the traditions of old, sidestepping usual expectations, and delivering something completely new. This is what the future of rock should sound like: emotional, anxious, and filled with a startlingly wide variety of surprises. - Beach Sloth

The new Bangkok Thailand based indie-alternative band COUNT THE THIEF have spent the past month in the studio recording for their awaited new EP entitled ‘New Role’.
The trio met in Bangkok in late 2013, and in the space of a year and a half, they have garnered attention from an international mix of artists and fans. Members Danny Duncombe (Bass and Vocals) and Toby Willems (Drums and Vocals) are from the UK, while guitarist Dave Lefor is Canadian, both coming from varied musical backgrounds.
Today’s featured track ‘Vintage’ brings Duncombe’s distinct vocals to the forefront with some beautiful underlying guitar and tight knit drumming, a well structured piece that immediately grabbed our attention, building more and more on each subsequent listen. We expect big things from the group, and hope to see as a SXSW int’l featured band in the coming few years.
You can watch out for them at festivals around SE Asia, and best support them by grabbing a copy of the New Role EP when it launches. - Insomnia Radio