Cut of the Day: The Thermals, "Hey You"

Yes, they're still a band, their new album is coming in March, and they still sound like the Thermals.

By Matthew Singer

For a while there, it felt like we may never get another Thermals album. Three years have past since they last hit the studio, and shows have been infrequent. Bassist Kathy Foster and drummer Westin Glass are devoting a lot of time to their side project, Hurry Up, and singer-guitarist Hutch Harris has seemed more interested in comedy than music.

Alas, Portland's best power-punk band isn't done yet. Today, the group premiered the first track off its upcoming seventh album, We Disappear. According to the press release, the record is "an authentic, dark, and deeply personal album" examining "technology, love, and death"—heavy shit for a band whose frontman has spent most of his time between albums making jokes about man-boobs. "Hey You," the lead single, is a "paranoid fantasy" about trying to outrun death, but it contains all the elements of a classic Thermals song: big chords, pogo-inducing energy and Harris' declarative shout. Yeah, the album is called We Disappear, but from the sound of it, the Thermals aren't going away quite yet.

We Disappear is out March 25 on Saddle Creek. You can pre-order beginning Jan. 7.

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