The Thermals - We Disappear (2016)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Indie Rock
Label Number: LBJ-225
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© 2016 Saddle Creek
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra
The Thermals' 2013 album, Desperate Ground, was a return to their no-holds-barred punk rock roots, a desperate and broken blast of overdriven noise and shouted melancholy. Arriving in 2016, We Disappear follows it up with more of the same. The fire that they stoked to white-hot temps there is still burning hot and pure here, with Hutch Harris delivering impassioned howls and blown-out guitar riffing, drummer Westin Glass hammering his drums like he's trying to kill them, and bassist Kathy Foster anchoring it all with thick slabs of bass foundation (and the occasional backing vocal). It's a sound that any fan of the band will know well and be glad to have back again. The record kicks off with a blistering handful of songs that knock the dust off the turntable and put listeners back on their heels. All the rage and power the band can muster is laid bare for all to see, while still delivering hooks sharp enough to puncture eardrums. The opening "Into the Code" is classic Thermals, rollicking and direct and tough. The album barely slows down from there, with the trio landing blow after blow right in the gut. "Hey You" is a catchy, almost pop song that'll be stuck in heads right away; so is the short, sharp "Thinking of You." Once or twice, like on the midtempo "In Every Way" or the moody album closer "Years in a Day," the band scales back the noise a bit to let Harris' pleading vocals move to the front. He hasn't lost an ounce of the passion that he brought to the band's first recordings; he sounds as engaged and enraged as ever. We Disappear shows the Thermals haven't lost anything in all that time, either. They are just as vital, exciting, and necessary as they were in the beginning and this record stands with their best work.

tags: the thermals, we disappear, 2016, flac,