Mend Your Heart With The Soldier Thread

words by Michael Schmitt
photos by Randy Cremean

Technology is not on my side. Over a thousand miles separate me from The Soldier Thread in Austin, and the telephone line that connects us seems bent on leaving that distance unsurpassable. A conference call falls through, and, as the band investigates whose speakerphone has what it takes, I anxiously watch my own signal falter. Finally, though, I’m connected, and brought amidst The Soldier Thread in their Austin studio. Two weeks into recording, the quartet has taken a break to huddle around a speakerphone and give a preview of their debut full-length album. “It’s exactly what we want it to be,” beams vocalist and guitarist Justin McHugh.