“They’re this year’s Toploader,” argued a colleague upon the release of The Thrills’ debut album last year. He was wrong, but he was typical, The Thrills have had more than their fair share of detractors. Adored and reviled as they are in equal measures, the merit of The Thrills’ second album was always going to be a hotly-contested issue, and it seems that the whole country is eager to nail their colours to the mast. So here we go.
Of course, certain lyrics on the album, which admittedly indulge in ‘O.C’-type high-school imagery, will fan the flames of the critics’ ‘faux-American’ contention. We’re talking copious mentions of ‘virgin prom queens’ and ‘swimming pools in the fall’ (both of which, to my knowledge, are few and far between in Stillorgan). But it’s a small complaint, and do you know what? I don’t care!
That possible niggle aside, Let’s Bottle Bohemia is, to my mind at least, as joyful, uplifting and exhilarating an album as So Much For The City. The spirit of that now-famous summer in San Diego still drives their music, but this is no mere carbon copy of SMFTC, rather taking the west coast pop blueprint on a stage in sophistication.
On Let’s Bottle Bohemia, their masterly, optimistic sound is thoroughly resplendent in all its polished, string-drenched production glory. More significantly, Conor Deasy’s voice has gained supreme confidence, relating a performer who has genuinely found his feet. Their songwriting, which at times appeared wilfully earnest on their debut, is now positively brimming with self-assurance.
Far from being a let-down, Let’s Bottle Bohemia stands as a paragon of wonderfully-crafted pop perfection.