Now, Now, 'But I Do (Demo)'

The intensely meditative breakup songs of Now, Now's Threads are less about relationships and instead stare straight into a mirror that reflects hard truths about the self. Ten years later, its muted indie-rock palette still explodes the fraught edges of intimacy.

That closeness — of vocal range and harmony, guitar chord choices, first-person pronouns — comes into even starker contrast with a demo version of "But I Do" from a reissued Threads (out today), which features unreleased B-sides and demos. (For those wondering, Tancred's Jess Abbott appears on "Comfortable," "Shifting" and "Trudge.") On the 2012 album, "But I Do" explores the tension of restraint with guitars that rock ever so shimmery and crystal-clear drums way up in the mix, but here, it's just KC Dalager hunched over a mic in a noisy room. The intricate guitar picking pattern remains, as do tentative vocal harmonies, but everything's hushed, as if sung to someone just inches away. The demo paints a terse scene as Dalager sings, "When I'm in my room, I know what to do about you." You can almost hear the eyes clenched shut from tears held back.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.