The Thermals

After four albums that practically perfected ragged, garage-rocking pop punk, The Thermals faced a common dilemma: maintain or reassess. Not that anyone would complain about another typical Thermals album, but the shine would’ve lost some luster. For their latest, the Chris Walla-produced Personal Life, The Thermals adopt a more subdued sound (relatively speaking) that, in many instances, pushes Hutch Harris’ guitar to the side. Instead, bassist Kathy Foster locks in with drummer Westin Glass—the first drummer The Thermals had in the studio in two albums—giving drum and bass tracks like “Never Listen To Me” and “Only For You” a forcefulness even with the guitar minimized.

Updated 10/25/2011