The Thermals
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2009) |
The Thermals | |
|---|---|
 The Thermals final line-up (left to right): Westin Glass, Kathy Foster and Hutch Harris | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genres | Indie rock, lo-fi, punk rock |
| Years active | 2002–2018 |
| Labels | Kill Rock Stars, Saddle Creek, Sub Pop |
| Associated acts | Hutch & Kathy, All Girl Summer Fun Band, Forbidden Friends |
| Website | www |
| Past members | Hutch Harris Kathy Foster Westin Glass Jordan Hudson Ben Barnett Caitlin Love Lorin Coleman Joel Burrows |
The Thermals were an American indie rock band based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The group was formed in 2002. With influences heavily rooted in both lofi, as well as standard rock, the band's songs were also known for their political and religious imagery.[1]
History[]
In 2002 former bandmates Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster came together to form the Thermals, having previously worked together, most notably in the folk duo Hutch & Kathy. Their first album, More Parts per Million, was released in 2003 by Sub Pop Records. The album was recorded and performed entirely by Hutch Harris, who played every instrument. The first live lineup was Harris with Kathy Foster on bass, Jordan Hudson (also of M. Ward and The operacycle) on drums and Ben Barnett on guitar.[2] Their follow-up album, 2004's Fuckin A, was mixed by Death Cab For Cutie member Chris Walla.[3] During that period Ben Barnett left the band and Hutch Harris took over the role as guitarist.
Their third album The Body, The Blood, The Machine was produced by Brendan Canty of Fugazi[4] and won the group much recognition and acclaim, appearing on multiple top album lists for 2006 such as NPR, The AV Club and Pitchfork.[5] Jordan Hudson dropped out of the band during the recording of their third album. Kathy Foster took over percussion duties in the recording studio, which Lorin Coleman performed on tour.
The Thermals' fourth album Now We Can See, was released in 2009 on the label Kill Rock Stars and produced by John Congleton. Again, Foster worked as the percussionist on the album. Westin Glass joined the group as a drummer after the album had been completed.
The Thermals fifth album, Personal Life was released September 7, 2010.
The Thermals' cover of the song "Little Boxes" was used as the opening song for Weeds season 8 episode 8, "Five Miles From Yetzer Hara" which aired on August 19, 2012; their song "Here's Your Future" from The Body, The Blood, The Machine having been previously used in the second episode of the third season ("A Pool and his Money" August 20, 2007).
In October 2012, former guitarist Joel Burrows died from complications from a car accident.[6]
On January 31, 2013, The Thermals signed to Saddle Creek Records and planned to release their new album Desperate Ground on April 16, 2013.[7][8] In March 2013, The Thermals were named one of Fuse TV's 30 must-see artists at SXSW.[9]
On January 6, 2016, The Thermals announced the release of their seventh studio album titled We Disappear. It was released on March 25, 2016 via Saddle Creek records.[10]
On April 9, 2018, the band announced[11] that they were officially disbanding after 16 years.
Band members[]
Final lineup[]
- Hutch Harris - vocals, guitar, keyboard (2002–2018)
- Kathy Foster - bass, vocals (2002–2018)
- Westin Glass - drums, vocals (2008–2018)
Former members[]
- Jordan Hudson - drums (2002–2005)
- Ben Barnett - guitar (2002–2003)
- Caitlin Love - drums (2006)
- Lorin Coleman - drums (2007–2008)
- Joel Burrows - guitar (2007)
Timeline[]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [12] |
US Heat [13] |
US Indie [14] | ||
| More Parts per Million |
|
— | — | — |
| Fuckin A |
|
— | — | — |
| The Body, the Blood, the Machine |
|
— | — | — |
| Now We Can See |
|
191 | 5 | 20 |
| Personal Life |
|
180 | 1 | 30 |
| Desperate Ground |
|
— | 1 | 39 |
| We Disappear |
|
— | 11 | 36 |
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | ||||
Singles and EPs[]
| Year | Title | UK Sales [15] |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "No Culture Icons" | — | Sub Pop |
| 2004 | "How We Know" | — | Sub Pop |
| 2007 | "A Pillar of Salt" | — | Sub Pop |
| 2008 | "Returning to the Fold" | — | Sub Pop |
| 2009 | "When I Died / Thao & The Get Down Stay Down" | — | Kill Rock Stars |
| 2009 | "Now We Can See" | — | Kill Rock Stars |
| 2009 | "We Were Sick" | — | Kill Rock Stars |
| 2010 | "Canada" | — | Kill Rock Stars |
| 2010 | "Separate / So Hot Now" | — | Kill Rock Stars |
| 2010 | "I Don't Believe You" | — | Kill Rock Stars |
| 2010 | "Never Listen To Me" | 84 | Kill Rock Stars |
| 2011 | "Not Like Any Other Feeling" | — | Kill Rock Stars |
| 2013 | "Born To Kill" | — | Saddle Creek |
| 2013 | "Desperate Ground Demos" | — | Saddle Creek |
| 2016 | "Hey You" | — | Saddle Creek |
| 2016 | "My Heart Went Cold" | — | Saddle Creek |
Live albums[]
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Insound Tour Support 2.0 | Insound |
| 2008 | LIVE at the Echoplex - December 7, 2007 | Kufala Recordings |
Compilations[]
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Wonder of the Underground Pressed On Plastic, Vol. 1 | Meow Meow |
| 2004 | Sub Pop: Patient Zero | Sub Pop |
| 2006 | To Elliott: From Portland | Expunged Records |
| 2006 | Terminal Sales Vol. 2: This Delicious | Sub Pop |
| 2007 | Bridging the Distance: a Portland, OR covers compilation | Arena Rock Recording Co. |
References[]
- ^ "The Thermals Interview". Unfoldamsterdam.nl. Archived from the original on 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ "More Parts Per Million". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ "Fuckin A info". Subpop.com. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ "Thermals Interview". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ "Thermals Award info". Subpop.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ Lannamann, Ned (2012-10-29). "Goodbye, Joel Burrows of the Minders and the Thermals | End Hits". Portlandmercury.com. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ Minsker, Evan. "Thermals Detail New LP, Sign to Saddle Creek". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ^ Thomas, Fred (2013-04-15). "Desperate Ground - The Thermals : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ "30 Must-See Acts at SXSW 2013 - Photos - South by Southwest - Festivals - Fuse". Fuse.tv. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ Minsker, Evan. "The Thermals Announce New Album We Disappear, Share "Hey You"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "The Thermals Twitter ನಲ್ಲಿ: "We are officially disbanding! After 15 years and 7 records, we feel our band has reached far beyond our initial expectations and goals, and are stepping away from it while we still cherish it."". 9 April 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-04-09. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "The Thermals - Billboard". Billboard.com.
- ^ "The Thermals - Billboard Heatseekers". Billboard.com.
- ^ "The Thermals - Billboard Independent". Billboard.com.
- ^ Peaks in UK Physical Singles Chart:
- "Never Listen To Me": "Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100 - 21 November 2010 - 27 November 2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Thermals. |
- The Thermals (official website)
- The Thermals at Sub Pop Records
- The Thermals on FreeIndie
- The Thermals at AllMusic
Interviews[]
 | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (May 2013) |
- The Thermals Interview with Kathy Foster at Aural States (May 2009)
- The Thermals Interview with Hutch Harris at Aural States
- 2007 The Thermals Interview at Bandega.com
- Interview: The Thermals Interview by Jason Crock at Pitchfork Media
- Interview explaining The Body, The Blood, The Machine from Oct. 2006 on Aversion
- The Politics of Punk: Interview with The Thermals with the Center for American Progress
- The Thermals' Kathy Foster Gets Lasso'd
- Soundcrank Podcast Hosted by The Thermals
- Why aren't "post-pop-punks" The Thermals hotter? Interview by Joshua Ostroff at AOL Music Canada
- The Thermals CC Interview
- The Thermals interview April 2009
- Article
- Interview
- Spectrum Culture: interview
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- Indie rock musical groups from Oregon
- Punk rock groups from Oregon
- Musical groups established in 2002
- Musical groups from Portland, Oregon
- Sub Pop artists
- Lofi music groups
- American musical trios
- 2002 establishments in Oregon
- Musical groups disestablished in 2018
- Rock music groups from Oregon