Track By Tracks: I C RED - THERMAL (2026)
THERMAL Track-By-Track by Jordan Mattacchione of I C RED
“THERMAL” is the debut EP from I C RED and, to us, it's the prologue to a much bigger story. One that isn’t meant to be told in a straight line. These songs are fragments, moments, emotions, and ideas pulled from different places within the world of ICR. More than anything, this record feels like the moment we finally became the band we were always trying to become. THERMAL is where we found the signal, but the real story starts now.
1. INDUSTRY SUPERSTAR:
“INDUSTRY SUPERSTAR” is really the beginning of I C RED. It was our first transmission into the world, and within the story, it represents the first moment of contact as well. The song is about how people are constantly looking for someone to idolize, someone larger than life, but at the same time they’re almost waiting for the opportunity to tear that person apart. We want SUPERSTARS, but we also love watching them fall. There’s something interesting to me about becoming the thing everyone is looking at… whether they love you or hate you.
2. KILLING ME:
“KILLING ME” is about wanting the thing you know is bad for you and not really being able to stop yourself. I’ve always had a very all-or-nothing relationship with almost everything in my life. That can be an incredible trait when it’s pointed in the right direction, but when it isn’t, it can be hard to pull yourself back out. There’s another layer to it too… Waking up from the trance doesn’t immediately feel like freedom. Sometimes the truth is heavier than the numbness, and there’s a part of you that just wants to go back to not feeling any of it.
3. 2FU2C:
“2FU2C“ is about seeing greatness in someone who can’t seem to get out of their own way, and to be honest, a lot of that person is me. I’ve always felt like I was meant to do something bigger in my life, and there are moments where I can clearly see that version of myself, but there are also moments where I have to ask whether my actions actually match how badly I say I want it. This song honestly stood out to all of us the most when we finished THERMAL; we felt it was special. Within ICR, it almost felt like an invitation: we can show you the way out, but at some point you have to decide whether you actually want to wake up.
4. BRAIN ROT:
“BRAIN ROT” is the breaking point on THERMAL. The lyrics are intentionally juvenile, repetitive, and a little stupid because that’s kind of the point. It’s about living in a world where people are constantly feeding themselves information, dopamine, noise, and other people‘s opinions because sitting still long enough to actually feel something real has become uncomfortable. Everyone is plugged into something. Everyone is being told what to think, what to want, what to care about, and who to hate, and somewhere along the way we stopped asking who actually benefits from keeping us that distracted. The thing that frustrates me the most is what that kind of constant exposure is doing to younger generations. We worship people and systems that don’t know us, don’t care about us, and would rather keep us numb.
5. HATE ME (LIKE I DO):
“HATE ME” is probably one of the most personal songs on the EP. I’ve always had this overwhelming feeling that I’m supposed to do something great with my life, but there’s a much uglier side to carrying that kind of expectation for yourself. When I’m moving forward, creating, and living like the person I believe I can become, I feel unstoppable! When I’m not, I hate myself. There’s a point where ambition stops inspiring you and starts eating you alive. In a lot of ways, this song reaches back to the very beginning of our story: wanting so badly to become something greater that you’re willing to bleed for it, without realizing what that pursuit might turn you into. It’s hard to become something great without sometimes hating the person you are before you get there.
6. SHUT UP:
“SHUT UP” is the closest THERMAL gets to showing you the end of the story. It’s about reaching the thing you thought you were fighting for, only to realize that you’ve become that very thing in the end. It’s a never-ending cycle. Underneath that, though, it’s a song about how exhausted I am by the way people treat each other. Everyone is fighting over who is right, who is wrong, who is good, and who is bad, when the reality is that every one of us is flawed. We all have darkness. We all have things we’re not proud of, and somehow we still have to find a way to exist together. You don’t have to agree with everyone, but maybe sometimes we just need to shut up long enough to remember that we’re all human.
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