The Thermals' Personal Life explores love and its darker side

Bassist Kathy Foster explains why the chemistry with vocalist Hutch Harris has gotten them to their fifth album

By Eleanor Whitney
Published: September 11th, 2010 | 12:30pm

The Thermals’ no-holds-barred indie rock and breakneck, bouncy delivery has drawn the Portland band acclaim throughout the world. Since their first album, More Parts Per Million (Subpop), was released in 2003, the trio has toured and produced new work at a tempo nearly as rapid as their two-minute songs. On their just-released fifth album Personal Life (Kill Rock Stars), however, the Thermals have managed to slow themselves down to find a mature sound infused with a strong pop sensibility.

The Thermals cohesion as a band is part of what makes their songs so delightfully listenable and so extremely catchy. The main members, Hutch Harris (guitar and vocals) and Kathy Foster (bass), have been playing music together since the mid-'90s. We caught up with Foster in the early summer while she was taking a break between touring and recording and enjoying a Bloody Mary on the back patio of a Portland bar to discuss the Thermals’ new record.

“We want to evolve on each record. We never want to make a record that sounds the same as the last,” Foster explains. “Each record we have made has been more collaborative, more in depth. On this one we’ve pushed ourselves to write more dynamic, and in some cases, slower songs,” she continues. A key development on Personal Life is the increased level of collaboration during the song writing process between Foster and Harris. “It just keeps getting better and better,” says Foster. “On [previous projects], I was playing drums and we wouldn’t collaborate so much. When the first Thermals record was made, we weren’t even a band. Hutch was just making the songs for fun. This record is poppier and more grown up.”

In fact, Foster's bass melodies drive the songwriting process. She explains she was inspired by the melodic bass lines of early New Order songs, which have crept into her writing for the Thermals. The songs on the new album, which range from the danceable, brash single “I Don’t Believe You” to slower, new wavier numbers with radio friendly choruses, are all highly melodic and complex. Personal Life is a record that one can listen to over and over again and never tire of the new hooks and melodies. Harris’ lyrics work together with Foster's parts as well. “Each of our records has had a theme,” explains Foster, “This one explores love and its darker side: the lies, the pain, the things that you deal with with someone.”

The Thermals new record also reflects the band's deep involvement in the Pacific Northwest independent rock scene. It was recorded at the venerable Jackpot Studios in Portland and at the basement studio of Chris Walla, of Death Cab for Cutie fame. Close collaboration also characterizes the Thermals’ relationship with Walla, who had been involved in the production of two of their previous LPs.

“We were so on the same page,” laughs Foster, “that we barely talked about the sound of the record before we got going.” The Thermals and Walla eschewed computers during the recording process as much as possible, lending the record its rich, analog sound. “Any effects we want to do, we do in the studio—not after—and we record on two-inch reel-to-reel tape,” explains Foster, deconstructing the honest rock sound that has become the Thermals', and Walla’s, signature.

While it has a pop-oriented sound that incorporates darker musings, Personal Life is full of giddy, punky fun and is reflective of Harris and Foster's ongoing musical relationship. “We’ve been best friends for so long; that hasn’t changed,” says Foster. “We’ve always had a lot of fun together.”

—

The Thermals official site

The Thermals MySpace page

Kill Rock Stars