NJ Band's Barrage Of New Music Draws Eerie Parallels To Pandemic, Protests

When New Jersey rock band One Hundred Thousand announced last winter that it would release its ambitious ZODIAC concept album this year as one track per month, the band made it clear that the record's theme went deeper than its astrological inspiration.

But no one expected the theme to tie so closely to events of the year 2020.

All music is subject to interpretation, of course, but it's hard to hear the lyric "Let's be honest, for a change" in the chorus of the band's latest single, "Cancer," and not reflect on how divided our country seems at this very moment.

But that's just the latest piece in the puzzle, which has been in the works since at least 2017.

One Hundred Thousand reemerged in late-March with "Aries," its most frantic track to date. The music and lyrics in the first ZODIAC single paint a picture of utter pandemonium.

Of course it arrived just as the novel coronavirus pandemic began prompting shutdowns and widespread panic. If you were able to find toilet paper at the store in March, you were one of the lucky ones. The rest of us had to improvise. It got ugly.

"Taurus" came along in April. The raging bull imagery was an apt reflection of the pent up frustration of most of the country after a month in lockdown.

"Gemini" is a drastic dynamic shift compared to the first two tracks. The introspective song begs for unity and togetherness, just like we all were late-this spring. It came just as people were taking to the streets by the thousands demanding action on racial injustice and civil rights.

Now, just a few days after the band unveiled of the bittersweet "Cancer," it makes you wonder how many more coincidences there are on this record and, of course, what happens next?


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