Saturday, June 21: The Thermals

The New Frontier Lounge

By Rev. Adam McKinney on June 19, 2014

The Thermals have never skimped on passion - musically or lyrically. With straightforward opinions about politics being spat by Hutch Harris at a furious rate per minute, over the driving pop-punk explosions of the unimpeachable trio, the Thermals have been, at their best, near unmatchable for fist-pumping power. Their most recent record, Desperate Ground, finds them coming back to basics, after the inward turn of Personal Life. The three-chord blast has come back in full force, lending the band a muscularity that's flagged a little since their early years. An album of full-blooded anthems is precisely what was needed, and the Thermals came through in spades. It's not often that the band graces a Tacoma stage, so consider this show unmissable. And, if you do miss it, consider this: what on Earth were you thinking?

THE THERMALS, w/ Big Eyes, Wheelies, 9 p.m., The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, $14, 253.572.4020