The Thermals - Personal life
Released on the 7th of September, ‘Personal life’ is the fifth album from the Portland trio The Thermals. No doubt unfamiliar to most, these underground rockers are masters at the three-minute indie punk song.
Previous album ‘Now we Can See’, was a record hinged on the guiding motif “songs from when we were alive” and along with their back catalogue it was an album shaped and defined by the world that surrounded them, namely the George W. Bush presidency.
‘Personal Life’ however sees lead vocalist and songwriter working through something more private, dealing not with his greater surroundings but the ups and downs of a relationship. The Thermals new record is never as bitchy as say Fleetwood Mac classic, ‘Rumors’ but there’s still plenty of backbiting to go around with lyric, “Your love is so strong, it’s only a series of lies” is a fine example of this.
And so its with slight disappointment to see The Thermals more away from their traditional two minute blast of pure, all or nothing, punk pleasure but at the expense of urgency “Personal Life” takes a deeper look and spend more time working at the things that affect them.
There’s a change happening with The Thermals, one that full of promise. Unfortunately that promise is never quite delivered here, in the ‘Personal Life’.
DwR.
