1. No Culture Icons 2:21
2. An Endless Supply 1:34
3. Capture With a Magnet 2:20
4. Everything Thermals 1:25
EP info
The Thermals are from Portland, Or., and they rock. The Thermals recently released No Culture Icons EP as a mixed version of their four-song demo for Sub Pop and it is good. Very good. The title track starts with the refrain “Hardly art, hardly starving, hardly art, hardly garbage” sung over a raw ‘n’ fuzzy guitar. As soon as the drums kick in, I guarantee you will be hooked. The second and third tracks are rockin’ as well, but it’s the fourth and last song, “Everything Thermals,” that makes this a necessary purchase. While the rest of the band bangs away in basement/garage-punk style on their instruments, lead singer Hutch Harris wails, “The Thermals go right to your head, The Thermals have sex in your bed.” It’s true. They also “come in four shades of purple.” That might also be true. “Everything Thermals” is, no doubt, the ultimate sing-along song.
Harris and bass player Kathy Foster record folk under the moniker Hutch and Kathy. The rest of the band is comprised of Ben Barnett (Kind of Like Spitting) on guitar and Jordan Hudson (Operacycle) on drums.
The Thermals are the kind of band that makes you jump around your room singing into a hairbrush. If you have found music of the indie-rock persuasion lacking in energy and fun lately, The Thermals are exactly what you need. I have yet to see them in concert (a recent show with Hot Hot Heat was sold out), but I hear their live show is impressive. Judging from their EP, I wouldn’t expect anything less.