Thrills - Teenager

by Benjamin Howarth

published: 5 / 9 / 2007

Label: Virgin
Format: CD

Enjoyable and catchy third album from the once heavily hyped Thrills

Review

In the summer after my first year at university, the Thrills became the latest band trumpeted by the national music media as the greatest band ever since the last greatest band ever. Their sunkissed California melodies gave them a couple of minor hits, but ultimately they never quite hit the mega- sale heights that had been predicted of them. Why do these pesky bands keep coming back and reminding music journalists of their unfortunate tendency to talk absolute bollocks. The Thrills soon returned with a second album, ‘Let’s Bottle Bohemia’, which was - as is so often the case - a weaker version of the first . A few people bought it, but not as many as was hoped. So back with the third, at which point the inevitable decline will surely have ripped the soul out of the music. And yet, no. This is actually the first time they have made a really enjoyable album. It begins with a song that shamelessly borrows from the Spinto Band’s ‘Oh Mandy!’, one of the best songs of the decade, and it doesn’t let up. Instead of 70's country rock pop, they are firmly in indie mould. There are hints of Wilco, of Modest Mouse, a huge dose of The Shins and an obvious love of Pavement. While it would be hard to learn much about the band’s own personality, there is energy and obvious passion at work here, It’s not shockingly original, but it is really rather good. Catchy, varied, intelligent, this is an album which isn‘t easily replaced in the stereo. Ignore that this is by a band that the NME used to like - it is an album I’m pretty confident that you will really like!

Track Listing:-

1 The Midnight Choir
2 This Year
3 Nothing Changes Around Here
4 Restaurant
5 I Came All This Way
6 Long Forgotten Song
7 I'm So Sorry
8 No More Empty Words
9 Teenager
10 Should've Known Better
11 There’s Joy To Be Found...The Boy Who Caught All The Breaks
12 Digital Booklet: Teenager