Four summers ago, the Thrills’ sun-drenched songs were hard to avoid and easy to fall for. The combination of five young Dubliners and a sound inspired by beach-bum California was as endearing as it was bizarre, and with a clutch of catchy singles, their debut album, So Much for the City, ended up in the Top Ten.
The feelgood mood of the music captured a moment that the Thrills have since fought to move on from. The follow-up, Let’s Bottle Bohemia, was warmly received, but failed to ignite much excitement in fans. For the forthcoming third album, Teenager, the Thrills decamped to Vancouver and a studio that was once a makeshift morgue in search of a tougher, transatlantic influence.
The result is a collection of toe-tapping tunes, but which fail to nail any edge. The opening track The Midnight Choir provided a rousing start to their small Glasgow show and it took only ten seconds for a cool-looking Conor Deasy – the singer sported designer stubble and a silk suit jacket that was effortlessly chic – to convince the crowd to clap along. No encouragement was needed for a still fabulous Big Sur, nor indeed any of the early hits, notably a Santa Cruz hijacked by fans, peppered throughout the evening.
The new numbers fared admirably in comparison, but there was a sense that the Thrills were relying on reserves of goodwill, rather than building new bonds. Long Forgotten Song was enjoyable while it lasted, but lived up to its title from the moment it finished, while lyrically, the forthcoming single Nothing Changes Round Here was unfortunately apt. Restaurant was easily Teenager’s highlight – “This will never be what I want, eating in some fancy restaurant,” sang Deasy. He probably won’t have to worry. Unless the Thrills can locate some new killer hooks soon, they could find themselves stuck on the diner circuit.
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The Thrills play Scala, London N1, July 19