The Thrills are venturing back to Australia for another tour (well, everywhere but Adelaide) to support their brand new album Teenagers. Conor Deasy talks about trying to strive for a new standard this time round after a very impressive debut So Much For The City and its follow up Let’s Bottle Bohemia.
Album number three and one of The Thrills’ finest moments. “I’m very proud of the record,” Conor acknowledged. “It was something of a labour of love as this one was definitely a challenge and a difficult one to make. This album could have quite easily been a double album with the amount that we wrote.”
Conor also admitted that it was difficult not to repeat what has already been done this time round. “I wanted this record to sound fresh but I still wanted the band to move forward with what we were doing. Since we’ve been a band we’ve always tried to turn our sound on its head but we wanted to make sure that it was never contrived. Music is always supposed to progress and be organic and that’s what I wanted this record to be. However, because we didn’t sit down and say in a very deliberate way that we were going to do this or that I think that’s why it took so long and it’s simply one of those difficult records. I don’t know if it sounds that way because it’s too hard for me to know what it sounds like but sometimes you have to do whatever it takes.”
There was talk of a double album, which in this day and age is risky. There have not been too many successful ones. I did ask the question whether there was much argument between band members as to what is in and what didn’t make it. “There wasn’t as much arguing as you could image,” Conor said. “I thought it would be a big issue and I think that was a good sign that we were spot on with the tracklisting. It seemed like everyone had a song or two that didn’t make the album that they loved. There was quite a lot of agreement, but you know what musicians are like: when something is set in stone, especially after a few drinks at three am in the morning, that we start thinking about making changes.”
Was it really a labour of love? “We’ve never been that workman like,” Conor reflected. “I think we’ve always been quite irreverent about it. I think the thing that defines a band more than their talents is their limitations. It would be easy to get a bunch of session musicians and knock out an album in a few days and they would find it absurd that a band would book a studio for three months to record an album – but that’s not the point. The band is trying to capture something novel or something with character. It’s not just about churning out the songs in a workman like fashion. I think we do have our limitations as a band but having said that I’ve never really been that excited about musicianship. I don’t think that’s what pop or rock ‘n roll or whatever is about. It’s not about the playing or being that intricate with it but right kind of the path and good instincts.”
Most songwriters say that their songs are like their children and that you can’t love one more than the other. ” Midnight Choir is one of my favourites, as it was the last one written for the album. To be honest with you, all the songs are there for a good reason and I guess that’s what happens when you write two albums worth of material. I’m very proud of the record, but by the time an album is to come out you hate the songs, and then a week later you start to like them again. Then one song starts to bother you. Bands have complicated relationships with their work, but I think we have a solid album.”
Catch the Thrills at the following venues this month:
4 Jun – The Zoo, Brisbane
6 Jun – Hi Fi Bar & Ballroom, Melbourne
8 Jun – Metro Theatre, Sydney
10 Jun – Amplifier Bar, Perth
11 Jun – Fly By Night, Perth
13 Jun – Settlers Tavern, Perth
