Thermal Are Burdened but Alive on 'Plaster Girl'

Exclaim! Staff Picks

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Nov 24, 2023

Thermal's music feels like a heaving chest, heavy with the weight of thick guitar fuzz, claustrophobic emotional landscapes and a racing heartbeat. On their debut EP, the Toronto band helmed by Josh McIntyre and Lauren Armstrong work within the parameters of this feeling.

The cohesion of Plaster Girl doesn't betray its nuanced experimentation with form, drawing on different '90s greats to embody the era's grungy ethos. "Peachy" is a spiritual successor to Mazzy Star while "Groupie" punches up the tempo with skintight synths and a hook reminiscent of Wolf Alice's "Don't Delete the Kisses."


 
(Dalliance Recordings )

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