Ever wondered what The Strokes might have sounded like had they emerged a decade earlier? Perhaps this terrific debut by Portland, Oregon’s Thermals gives an indication. Here, jittery, incandescent pop is treated to the sort of lo-fi production familiar to fans of Guided By Voices and Sebadoh in the early ’90s. As with the best bedroom punk records, the bloody-knuckled passion and immediacy of these 13 rapid songs transcends any cavils about sound quality. Put simply: it rocks, it rushes, and you’ll play it through twice every time.
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