Thank You, I’m Sorry’s Lleen Dow Talks New Lineup, New Recordings, and New Shows (8/2 at Silk City)

“We got a writeup that called it an ode to 2005, and I was like, ‘They knew exactly what I was going for,’ like, they’re really picking up what...

“We got a writeup that called it an ode to 2005, and I was like, ‘They knew exactly what I was going for,’ like, they’re really picking up what I’m putting down!” laughs Lleen Dow, founder, frontperson, and as-of-recently sole constant member of Portland-based, aughts-emo-flavored indie rock outfit Thank You, I’m Sorry.  We’re discussing the group’s latest EP, Repeating Threes, which dropped independently this March, during a recent phone chat.  “We really had no ties, so we had full control to put out what we wanted,” Lleen explains of the band’s first entirely independent release, which follows up last year’s Growing in Strange Places, Thank You, I’m Sorry’s third LP and final release for Count Your Lucky Stars.

“We spent so long on Growing in Strange Places.  I started writing that at 20 or 21, and it took two years to release, because it kept getting pushed back…  I’m 25 now, and I was 24 when it came out, so everything feels so different from when it started,” Dow tells me of Thank You, I’m Sorry’s latest full-length, explaining why they’ve been so excited to get the follow-up EP out: “I definitely think it’s a reflection of a new side.”  However, they also admit that each of the band’s releases (They’ve dropped three full-lengths since 2020.) is very much its own thing.

“Every release is completely different…  [2020 debut] The Malta House was completely a solo record, and then for [2020 sophomore LP] I’m Glad We’re Friends, that was a lot of the songs I had already written for The Malta House, but I did it with a band…  I’m Glad We’re Friends was kind of rushed a bit…  Growing in Strange Places is kind of all over the place, a really eclectic record.”

And apparently critics aren’t the only people who have been loving Repeating Threes.  “Overwhelmingly, the support has been great.  A lot of people are saying it’s their favorite from us yet,” Lleen tells me.  The EP’s latest single, “When I Come East,” – which Lleen says came about when they were, “reflecting on a time period of a long-distance flirtashionship in the age of Twitter.” — has racked up more than 160,000 streams on Spotify.  But when I ask if they’ve noticed patterns in Thank You, I’m Sorry fans, they tell me that they tend to be charmingly eclectic: “I’m always surprised by the audiences.  It changes so much, and it really isn’t consistent, other than, ya know, people who are fans of emo music or people who are fans of indie rock.”

Thank You, I’m Sorry are gearing up for their Summer 2024 tour, which kicks off next week in Minneapolis (the band’s one-time home) and includes a stop at our very own Silk City Diner on Friday August 2nd.  The band actually just played Creep Records in October of last year as part of the Growing in Strange Places Release Tour, although Lleen admits that their experience at the DIY venue was certainly mixed: “We have struggled through Philadelphia [laughs].  The last time we played there the opening band borrowed our gear without asking and broke one of our amps.”  However, they have very fond memories of playing super DIY space Lucky Aide in West Philly in 2022: “I grew up loving Modern Baseball and Title Fight, so getting to play a house show like where those bands used to play was so cool.”

Lleen says that they particularly enjoy playing non-traditional venues (such as West Philly houses and diners that have appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), telling me, “I definitely appreciate getting to play funky places, like places you don’t expect to be a venue,” going on to tell me about the band’s early days when they played a pizza shop reminiscent of Chuck E. Cheese, filled with seven-year-olds having a party after their soccer game, in additions to mannequins dressed up like movie characters.  However, they say that “classic” indie venues also have a special place in their heart: “I really like places that are famous within the indie scene, that the people in that city grew up going to, like I have such great memories of going to Subterranean and Bottom Lounge in Chicago, where I grew up.”

These summer dates represent a new era for Thank You, I’m Sorry.  “We just went through some pretty big lineup changes.  Our bassist and guitarist who had been there from the beginning left because they decided they weren’t up for the whole touring lifestyle…  Except for me, it’s totally new people,” Dow tells me, before going on to say that this has reenergized the band in some ways: “Everyone is really excited to be on the road!”  They also tell me that they’re hoping to have some kind of release with this new band in the very near future: “We’re doing some recordings with the new lineup, just to get our new sound out there.  It’ll be nice to be playing music that’s reflective of where we’re at now.”

After their headlining dates, Thank You, I’m Sorry will hit the road with English indie rockers Bears in Trees, who Lleen tells me they’re a big fan of: “We’ve been internet mutuals for years now, and they have a really good relationship with their fans.  I love how genuine and wholesome they seem…  I was really excited to be on the road with them, or just be on the road in general!”  And when I ask what Thank You, I’m Sorry has planned for after their run with Bears in Trees (which wraps at the end of October), they tell me that they’re just hoping for more releases and more shows, both locally and on the road, which the new lineup has made much easier: “I’m in Portland and, before, I was in Portland and my band was in Minneapolis, so we didn’t get to do local shows.  But now I have Pacific Northwest band members, so with local members we’ll be getting to do local shows…  I just want more of everything: more touring, more recording, more local shows!”

*Get your tickets here.

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During the day Izzy Cihak teaches transgression, subversion, and revolution at Temple University. At night he haunts Philthy's best venues to cover worthwhile acts for Philthy Mag. Morrissey is everything to him and, in their own heads, all of his friends see themselves as Zooey Deschanel.

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