The Thrills - Teenager
(2007)

Review by Sean Lynch

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The O.C. is guilty of many things: Poor acting, tweens, bratty lifestyles and Mischa Barton - but one thing they can't be accused of is having poor taste in music. Something The Thrills can attest to.

While I can't say I'm exactly pleased with the throngs of teeny boppers making their way into the "Like, Oh my God! - It's so ultra cool to be Indie" scene (Thanks a bunch Seth Cohen!!), there is one thing that has come out of it - and that is the recognition of some hard working underground bands.

The downside, of course, is that The Thrills rise to mainstream stardom comes at a time when most bands are hitting their creative plateau. And while Teenager isn't terrible, it isn't particularly startling either. In fact - it about as middle of the road as it gets.

Those new to The Thrills sound will certainly be taken away by the charming nature of the whispers and moans of lead singer Conor Deasy, those who have encountered the far superior albums "So Much For The City" and "Let's Bottle Bohemia" will find "Teenager" verging on the overally familiar side.

While there are some enjoyable moments, most notably There's Joy To Be Found/The Boy Who Caught All The Breaks and Midnight Choir - the bulk of the 11 tracks are hard to distinguish. There's no stand out moment of zen - no Not For All The Love In The World, no Santa Cruz, not one single of promise.

Now perhaps I'm being a tad harsh. Like I said, if you were new to The Thrills then you most certainly you would be doing your best to research their back catalouge after giving "Teenager" a spin. But for fans - it simply doesn't possess the magic of their earlier work.

To add insult to injury, "Teenager" is also The Thrills lowest charting album, debuting at a disappointing #48 on the UK charts ("City" and "Bohemia" debuted at #3 and #9 respectively). And no, it ain't no coincidence that The O.C. isn't on anymore either! Sadly, without the support of Cohen & Co, it looks like the quality indie acts are heading back to being just that - indie!

Worth checking out, if only for This Year and I'm So Sorry, two songs which are actually distinguishable as somewhat more progressive than it's predecccors. Otherwise, you'd be hard pressed to be able to tell the difference between any of the tracks.

California, he we go...

ALBUM RATING: 2.5 out of 5

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