The Thermals
| Company type | Indie rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
| Website | thethermals |
The Thermals were an indie rock group originating from Portland, Oregon, established in 2002. Their sound combined elements of lo-fi and punk rock, often incorporating themes related to politics and religion.
History
The Thermals came into existence in 2002 when former partners Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster, who had previously collaborated as the folk duo Hutch & Kathy, decided to form a new band. Their first album, More Parts per Million (2003), was released under Sub Pop Records, with Harris handling all instrumental parts. The original touring ensemble featured Harris, Foster on bass, Jordan Hudson on drums, and Ben Barnett playing guitar.
In 2004, they released their sophomore album Fuckin A, which was mixed by Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla. Following Barnett’s exit, Harris took over guitar responsibilities. Their third release, The Body, The Blood, The Machine, produced by Brendan Canty of Fugazi, earned widespread critical praise and was included in top album lists by NPR, The AV Club, and Pitchfork in 2006. During this era, Hudson departed from the band; Foster recorded percussion parts in the studio while Lorin Coleman joined for live drumming duties.
The 2009 album Now We Can See, produced by John Congleton and released through Kill Rock Stars, marked the addition of Westin Glass as drummer after recording sessions concluded. Their fifth studio effort, Personal Life, was launched in September 2010.
Their rendition of "Little Boxes" appeared in the eighth season of Weeds (2012), following the earlier inclusion of "Here's Your Future" from The Body, The Blood, The Machine during season three.
In October 2012, former guitarist Joel Burrows passed away due to injuries sustained in a car accident.
On January 31, 2013, The Thermals signed with Saddle Creek Records and announced their forthcoming album Desperate Ground, scheduled for release on April 16. That year, Fuse TV recognized them as one of the 30 essential acts to see at SXSW.
Their seventh album, We Disappear, was issued on March 25, 2016 via Saddle Creek Records.
After sixteen years and seven albums, The Thermals officially disbanded on April 9, 2018.
Final lineup
- Hutch Harris – vocals, guitar, keyboards (2002–2018)
- Kathy Foster – bass guitar, vocals (2002–2018)
- Westin Glass – drums, backing 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; deceased 2012)
Timeline
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BarData =
bar:Harris text:"Hutch Harris" bar:Barnett text:"Ben Barnett" bar:Burrows text:"Joel Burrows" bar:Foster text:"Kathy Foster" bar:Hudson text:"Jordan Hudson" bar:Love text:"Caitlin Love" bar:Coleman text:"Lorin Coleman" bar:Glass text:"Westin Glass"
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</timeline>
Studio albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US Heat |
US Indie | ||
| 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 |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts or were not issued in that market | ||||
EPs
| EP Title | Release Details |
|---|---|
| No Culture Icons |
|
| A Pillar of Salt |
|
| Desperate Ground Demos |
|
As lead artist
| Single Title | Year Issued | Highest Chart Positions | Associated Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Sales |
UK Indie | ||||||||||||
| "How We Know" | 2004 | — | — | Fuckin A | |||||||||
| "A Pillar of Salt" | 2007 | — | 34 | The Body, the Blood, the Machine | |||||||||
| "Returning to the Fold" | 2008 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Now We Can See" | 2009 | — | — | Now We Can See | |||||||||
| "We Were Sick" | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Canada" | 2010 | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "I Don't Believe You" | — | — | Personal Life | ||||||||||
| "Never Listen To Me" | 84 | — | |||||||||||
| "Not Like Any Other Feeling" | 2011 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Born To Kill" | 2013 | — | — | Desperate Ground | |||||||||
| "Hey You" | 2016 | — | — | We Disappear | |||||||||
| "My Heart Went Cold" | — | — | |||||||||||
| "—" signifies singles that did not chart or were not released in the specified region. | |||||||||||||
Split singles
| Title | Release Year | Collaborating Artist(s) | Associated Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Ballad of Big Nothing" / "Division Day" | 2006 | We Are Telephone | To Elliott, from Portland |
| "When I Died" / "Cool Yourself You Are Flush Red" | 2009 | Thao & The Get Down Stay Down | Non-album singles |
| "Separate" / "So Hot Now" | 2010 | The Cribs |
Live albums
| Year | Album Title | Record Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Insound Tour Support 2.0 | Insound |
| 2008 | LIVE at the Echoplex - December 7, 2007 | Kufala Recordings |
Compilations
| Year | Compilation Title | Issuing 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. |
External links
- Official website
- The Thermals at Sub Pop Records
- The Thermals on FreeIndie
- Articles with short description
- Indie rock musical groups from Oregon
- Punk rock groups from Oregon
- Musical groups established in 2002
- Musical groups from Portland, Oregon
- Sub Pop artists
- Lo-fi music groups
- American musical trios
- 2002 establishments in Oregon
- Musical groups disestablished in 2018
- Rock music groups from Oregon
- Saddle Creek Records artists