The Thrills: Teenager
Based in Dublin but with hearts firmly located in sunny 1960s California, The Thrills specialize in bittersweet music that buries a distinct ache beneath catchy pop. Teenager, the band's third album, features 11 songs filed with all the yearning its title would suggest. As with its predecessors, Teenager's jangly sound and Conor Deasy's sensitive, cracking voice prove completely winning. But the songs sound a bit too overstudied, and there's a shortage of standout tracks à la "Whatever Happened To Corey Haim?" Still, the album's best moments—like the stuck-in-a-small-town-with-a-broken-heart tale "Nothing Changes Around Here"—will undoubtedly please fans who've been waiting three years for another fix of the best American pop band ever to come out of Ireland.