Now I am a sucker for harmony vocals (Queen, ELO & Journey being amongst my favourite bands of all time) and when I heard the Thrills on the radio I was hooked! The Thrills tread a very retro path with big nods to the Byrds, CSNY and more modern acts like Supergrass and Semisonic. The five-piece band between them covers a multitude of instruments including banjo! The singles are superb IMHO - ‘Big Sur’ with its harmonies, classic Hammond sound making for a perfect pop song. ‘Santa Cruz’ is mellower and very catchy. Jangly pop on ‘One Horse Town’ with all manner of instruments from horns to tambourines and then the band turn country on ‘Just Travelling Through’ (possibly my least favourite track on here).

The Thrills have produced a strong album, where the singles are not just the highlights on the album. Hopefully the band will have a long career, as this is a perfect start.

Band Website

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Review by Jason Ritchie

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly