Cafe Eleven

The Thermals

Sunday March 11th, 2007 - $10

The Thermals live on the beautiful, eastern side of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, where hordes of young “artists” are nurtured by foul weather and low-rent “houses.”
In the spring of 2002, The Thermals (songs) were created by singer Hutch Harris, in his kitchen.
By the fall, The Thermals had about ten shows under their belt, and almost half of those shows were on stage. They felt at this point that they had really paid their “dues,” and knew they had amassed a ton of “street cred(ibility).” In late October they signed a three-record deal with Sub Pop “Records.” Staying true to their “d.i.y. (do-it-yourself) ethics,” Harris recorded The Thermals’ debut record on a four-track cassette recorder in his one-bedroom house, lovingly dubbed “The Moss Motel.” Chris Walla, of Death Cab for Cutie “fame,” mixed the recordings to a quarter-inch two-track at The Hall of Justice studio in Seattle, Washington.
Sub Pop now brings The Thermals to you, in all their “no-fi” glory. Distorted guitars, distorted drums, distorted bass, and distorted vocals all collide into perfect, distorted pop songs. The sound is classic Sub Pop, with a “twist.” Imagine combining the best of the “grunge” bands from the label with some of the lo-fi geniuses who’ve worked with Sub Pop: like Mark Arm recording a basement record with Lou Barlow. The Thermals’ debut is called More Parts Per Million, and we think you will find this title very fitting, as this record pays absolutely no heed to any laws or generally accepted principles of sound recording. In fact, More Parts Per Million may force the listener to decide for him or herself what makes a record “listenable,” “unlistenable,” or “very fucking listenable.”

In the future, the Thermals hope to perform many national and international touring “gigs,” and to record at least two more albums, as dictated by their “contract.” They are also looking forward to graduating from the school of “d.i.y.” to enter the new and exciting world they refer to as “s.e.d.i.f.y.” (someone else does it for you).

* “No-fi,” “s.e.d.i.f.y.” and “very fucking listenable” are all registered trademarks of The Thermals, LLC. If you would like to license (for a nominal fee) any of these terms for use in “rock journalism,” please contact The Thermals.

The Thermals “Pillar of Salt”