The Thermals built its reputation by being loud and lo-fi with a bratty punk rebelliousness. It isn’t a band that would make you go, “Awww…The Thermals so sweet and thoughtful.” Then Personal Life happened.
Considering the band’s previous two albums have focused on fascist religious oppression and death respectively, Personal Life’s theme of being badly, deeply, madly in love might seem a stretch. But frontman Hutch Harris delivers the lyrics with such sincerity that everything works. Nothing is over thought, but it’s all sharp.
The highlight of the album is Kathy Foster’s heavy bass grooves. On tracks like “Never Listen To Me” and “Only For You” the bass is so deep that the listener can aurally sink into them like a body into an ultra plush couch (new drummer Westin Glass’ tight beats also bolster the rhythm section). While these tracks are indicative of the open feel of the album, the more familiar punk-y enthusiasm of “I Don’t Believe You” can’t be topped.
The downside is that Personal Life doesn’t grab you by the collar and demands your attention in the way that an album like The Body, The Blood, The Machine or Fuckin A does. Perhaps it’s a rubbernecker musical mentality, but the less chaotic version of The Thermals doesn’t make you crane your neck to keep looking back for glances of the carnage they’ve caused. The tender nature of the songs also doesn’t allow Harris to employ his skill for wonderfully cheeky lyrical wordplay, which is disappointing to say the least.
The Thermals have grown out of their old sound. But the new results aren’t going to “change your life” as certain lyrics might suggest, but Personal Life so darn endearing it’s hard to fuss.
Review Score: 7.8
*Expanded from a review in The Pacific Northwest Inlander*
Leave a Comment
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
