The Thrills
Encyclopedia
The Thrills are an Irish rock
band, formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland
. The band was founded by lead vocalist Conor Deasy and guitarist Daniel Ryan, guitarist and bass player Padraic McMahon, pianist Kevin Horan and drummer Ben Carrigan. Their big break came with their debut album, So Much for the City
, which became an Irish number one and charted at number 3 in the UK. The band's sound has been described as "inspired by classic American pop of the late '60s and early '70s" by MTV.com and "an ocean-soaked, harmony-heavy homage to California's dreamy dreams, shaking ground, and unrelenting sunshine" by Pitchfork Media
.
such as "One Horse Town".
In late 2002, The Thrills signed with Virgin Records
, attracted by the promise of artistic freedom and the label's decision to allow them to record their debut record in Hollywood with producer Tony Hoffer
(Beck
, Air). Their debut album was released in 2003, debuting at #1 in Ireland, #3 in the UK and going platinum in both the UK and Irish Album Charts. The album was nominated for the 2003 Mercury Prize
but lost to Dizzee Rascal
's 'Boy in da Corner'. The album also won the 2003 Q Award for Best New Act, and Best New Act at the 2003 Irish Meteor Awards.
Released in September 2004, Let's Bottle Bohemia
was again recorded in L.A., this time with Dave Sardy
and featuring orchestration by Van Dyke Parks and a guest mandolin performance by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. The album enjoyed similar success to the band's debut, entering the charts at number one in Ireland and number nine in the U.K – largely on the back of the single "Whatever Happened To Corey Haim?
". The band often cites Neil Young
and the Beach Boys as its main inspirations. The band took part in the Band Aid 20
charity assemble in 2004, and performed the song "Santa Cruz" at the Live 8 Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push charity concert , which is also featured on the DVD release of the event. The band also performed a medley with Ronnie Wood of their single "The Irish Keep Gatecrashing" and the Rod Stewart song "Maggie May" at the Irish Meteor Awards 2005.
The band took an extended break after their second album, in an effort to evolve their sound. New material was written, including the single and opening track "Midnight Choir
", and at R.E.M.'s suggestion, the five relocated to a renovated morgue in inner-city Vancouver to re-record the album with Tony Hoffer
. Teenager
was released in Ireland
on 22 July 2007 and Central Europe on 25 July 2007. It failed to light up the British and Irish charts, but received mixed reviews, getting a Metacritic score of 71, positive reviews from the BBC 7/10 from the NME, a 6.9/10 from Pitchfork and a 2/5 review from the Guardian UK.
The band was dropped by EMI
in 2008 after the poor performance of their Teenager album, which only charted at #48 in the UK.
In an August 2010 interview with the Irish Times, Ben Carrigan confirmed that the Thrills remain on indefinite hiatus. Carrigan was working on his debut solo record entitled 'The Greatest Narrators' and it was released 23 September 2011. The first single entitled 'You Knew It All Along' will be released on August 19.
KD lang included a cover of "Hollywood Kids" as a bonus track on her 2011 album with the Siss Bam Boom "Sing It Loud".
The Thrills are releasing a Best Of compilation entitled "2002–2007" on 22 August 2011.
tourism center.
"One Horse Town" from So Much for the City was used as the title music
for the second and third series of the BBC sketch comedy
series Tittybangbang
, and also features in commercials for Volvo
.
Adam Brody
, who played Seth Cohen
on The O.C.
, is a fan of The Thrills. Their music featured in two episodes of The O.C. including a guest appearance by the band members themselves on the second season episode "The Ex-Factor", where they played "Saturday Night", "Not For All the Love in the World" and "The Curse of Comfort".
"Big Sur" appears on the soundtrack and compilation album
, Music from the OC: Mix 2.
"There's Joy to Be Found/The Boy Who Caught All the Breaks" featured in the 17 October 2007 episode of Private Practice.
"Midnight Choir" is used in the background for many scenes in Season 2 of the French television drama Clara Sheller.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The band was founded by lead vocalist Conor Deasy and guitarist Daniel Ryan, guitarist and bass player Padraic McMahon, pianist Kevin Horan and drummer Ben Carrigan. Their big break came with their debut album, So Much for the City
So Much for the City
So Much for the City is the debut album of the Irish indie/pop band The Thrills. It was released in June 2003 and quickly became the number one in the Republic of Ireland where it spent 61 weeks in the top 75, and also won 'Album of the Year' at the national music awards...
, which became an Irish number one and charted at number 3 in the UK. The band's sound has been described as "inspired by classic American pop of the late '60s and early '70s" by MTV.com and "an ocean-soaked, harmony-heavy homage to California's dreamy dreams, shaking ground, and unrelenting sunshine" by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
.
History
The Thrills were formed in the Dublin suburb of Blackrock in the mid-'90s, when neighbors Conor Deasy and Daniel Ryan formed the Cheating Housewives with friends Kevin Horan, Padraic McMahon and Ben Carrigan. Several of the members attended primary school together at Hollypark Boys School in Foxrock. In 2001, they changed their name and became The Thrills. The band began writing and demoing material with a view to securing a record deal, which they soon did with local label Supremo Recordings, home of Chicks, San Diego where they wrote several of the tracks for their debut album, So Much for the CitySo Much for the City
So Much for the City is the debut album of the Irish indie/pop band The Thrills. It was released in June 2003 and quickly became the number one in the Republic of Ireland where it spent 61 weeks in the top 75, and also won 'Album of the Year' at the national music awards...
such as "One Horse Town".
In late 2002, The Thrills signed with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, attracted by the promise of artistic freedom and the label's decision to allow them to record their debut record in Hollywood with producer Tony Hoffer
Tony Hoffer
Tony Hoffer is an American producer, guitarist, and music mixer who is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air...
(Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Air). Their debut album was released in 2003, debuting at #1 in Ireland, #3 in the UK and going platinum in both the UK and Irish Album Charts. The album was nominated for the 2003 Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
but lost to Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
's 'Boy in da Corner'. The album also won the 2003 Q Award for Best New Act, and Best New Act at the 2003 Irish Meteor Awards.
Released in September 2004, Let's Bottle Bohemia
Let's Bottle Bohemia
Let's Bottle Bohemia is the second album by the Irish indie/rock band, The Thrills. It was produced and mixed by Dave Sardy. The album went platinum in Ireland in 2005, debuting at #1...
was again recorded in L.A., this time with Dave Sardy
Dave Sardy
David Sardy is a Brooklyn born-and-raised composer, musician, songwriter, and record producer- Biography :...
and featuring orchestration by Van Dyke Parks and a guest mandolin performance by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. The album enjoyed similar success to the band's debut, entering the charts at number one in Ireland and number nine in the U.K – largely on the back of the single "Whatever Happened To Corey Haim?
Whatever Happened To Corey Haim?
"Whatever Happened To Corey Haim?" is the first single from the second album Let's Bottle Bohemia by Irish alternative rock band The Thrills...
". The band often cites Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and the Beach Boys as its main inspirations. The band took part in the Band Aid 20
Band Aid 20
Band Aid 20 was the 2004 incarnation of the charity group Band Aid. The group, which included Chris Martin of Coldplay, Bono of U2, and Paul McCartney, re-recorded the 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?", written by Band Aid organizers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.-Recording:The song was recorded...
charity assemble in 2004, and performed the song "Santa Cruz" at the Live 8 Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push charity concert , which is also featured on the DVD release of the event. The band also performed a medley with Ronnie Wood of their single "The Irish Keep Gatecrashing" and the Rod Stewart song "Maggie May" at the Irish Meteor Awards 2005.
The band took an extended break after their second album, in an effort to evolve their sound. New material was written, including the single and opening track "Midnight Choir
Midnight Choir
Midnight Choir was a Norwegian indie/alternative rock band active from 1992 to 2004. Its members were Al DeLoner , Paal Flaata, and Ron Olsen...
", and at R.E.M.'s suggestion, the five relocated to a renovated morgue in inner-city Vancouver to re-record the album with Tony Hoffer
Tony Hoffer
Tony Hoffer is an American producer, guitarist, and music mixer who is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air...
. Teenager
Teenager (The Thrills album)
Teenager is the third album from Irish band The Thrills. It was released on July 22, 2007 in Ireland and three days later in Europe. The first single from the album was "Nothing Changes Around Here". The second release taken from the album was "The Midnight Choir" which was released as a...
was released in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
on 22 July 2007 and Central Europe on 25 July 2007. It failed to light up the British and Irish charts, but received mixed reviews, getting a Metacritic score of 71, positive reviews from the BBC 7/10 from the NME, a 6.9/10 from Pitchfork and a 2/5 review from the Guardian UK.
The band was dropped by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in 2008 after the poor performance of their Teenager album, which only charted at #48 in the UK.
In an August 2010 interview with the Irish Times, Ben Carrigan confirmed that the Thrills remain on indefinite hiatus. Carrigan was working on his debut solo record entitled 'The Greatest Narrators' and it was released 23 September 2011. The first single entitled 'You Knew It All Along' will be released on August 19.
KD lang included a cover of "Hollywood Kids" as a bonus track on her 2011 album with the Siss Bam Boom "Sing It Loud".
The Thrills are releasing a Best Of compilation entitled "2002–2007" on 22 August 2011.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | UK |
IRE |
BEL Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
ITA Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
NED Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
NOR Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
USA Billboard Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
USA Billboard Top 200 Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | So Much for the City So Much for the City So Much for the City is the debut album of the Irish indie/pop band The Thrills. It was released in June 2003 and quickly became the number one in the Republic of Ireland where it spent 61 weeks in the top 75, and also won 'Album of the Year' at the national music awards... |
3 | 1 | — | 100 | 47 | 75 | 28 | 23 | 14 | — |
| 2004 | Let's Bottle Bohemia Let's Bottle Bohemia Let's Bottle Bohemia is the second album by the Irish indie/rock band, The Thrills. It was produced and mixed by Dave Sardy. The album went platinum in Ireland in 2005, debuting at #1... |
9 | 1 | 79 | 183 | — | 85 | — | — | 6 | 152 |
| 2007 | Teenager Teenager (The Thrills album) Teenager is the third album from Irish band The Thrills. It was released on July 22, 2007 in Ireland and three days later in Europe. The first single from the album was "Nothing Changes Around Here". The second release taken from the album was "The Midnight Choir" which was released as a... |
48 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
IRE Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
NED Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far) Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far) "Santa Cruz " is the first ever single released by Irish band The Thrills, taken from their debut album So Much for the City. It was released on November 11, 2002.... " |
— | — | — | So Much for the City So Much for the City So Much for the City is the debut album of the Irish indie/pop band The Thrills. It was released in June 2003 and quickly became the number one in the Republic of Ireland where it spent 61 weeks in the top 75, and also won 'Album of the Year' at the national music awards... |
| 2003 | "One Horse Town" | 18 | 7 | — | |
| "Big Sur Big Sur (song) "Big Sur" is the third single released by Irish band The Thrills, off their debut album So Much for the City. It was released on 9 June 2003. The song reached #17 on the UK Charts, making it the most successful single release from the band so far. The song contains elements from " The Monkees"... " |
17 | 9 | 55 | ||
| "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far) (Re-Issue) Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far) "Santa Cruz " is the first ever single released by Irish band The Thrills, taken from their debut album So Much for the City. It was released on November 11, 2002.... " |
33 | 17 | — | ||
| "Don't Steal Our Sun Don't Steal Our Sun "Don't Steal Our Sun" is the fourth and final single released by Irish band The Thrills from their debut album So Much for the City. It was released on 24 November 2003.The song reached #45 on the UK Single Chart.-Track listing:... " |
45 | 38 | — | ||
| 2004 | "Whatever Happened To Corey Haim? Whatever Happened To Corey Haim? "Whatever Happened To Corey Haim?" is the first single from the second album Let's Bottle Bohemia by Irish alternative rock band The Thrills... " |
22 | 17 | — | Let's Bottle Bohemia Let's Bottle Bohemia Let's Bottle Bohemia is the second album by the Irish indie/rock band, The Thrills. It was produced and mixed by Dave Sardy. The album went platinum in Ireland in 2005, debuting at #1... |
| "Not for All the Love in the World Not for All the Love in the World "Not for All the Love in the World" is the second single from the album Let's Bottle Bohemia by Irish Alternative Rock band The Thrills. It was released on 15 November 2004. The single marked a significant change in the band's direction as a slower, more melancholic release.The song reached #39 on... " |
39 | 38 | — | ||
| 2005 | "The Irish Keep Gate-crashing The Irish Keep Gate-crashing "The Irish Keep Gate-crashing" is the third and final single from the album Let's Bottle Bohemia by Irish alternative rock band The Thrills. It was released on 21 March 2005.The song reached #48 on the UK Single Chart.-Track listing:... " |
48 | 44 | — | |
| 2007 | "Nothing Changes Around Here Nothing Changes Around Here "Nothing Changes Around Here" is the first single taken from The Thrills' third album Teenager. The band sang the track live on the RTÉ One television show "Saturday Night With Miriam" on Saturday 14 July 2007.... " |
40 | — | — | Teenager Teenager (The Thrills album) Teenager is the third album from Irish band The Thrills. It was released on July 22, 2007 in Ireland and three days later in Europe. The first single from the album was "Nothing Changes Around Here". The second release taken from the album was "The Midnight Choir" which was released as a... |
| "The Midnight Choir The Midnight Choir "The Midnight Choir" is the second single taken from The Thrills' third album, Teenager. It was released on October 29, 2007, as a download-only single and did not chart in the UK Singles Chart.... " |
— | — | — |
Other contributions
- WFUV: City Folk Live VIIWFUV: City Folk Live VIIWFUV: City Folk Live VII is a compilation album released by WFUV in November 2004 to highlight songs performed live in the studio by some of the year's favorite guests...
(2004) – "Santa Cruz" - Music from the OC: Mix 2 (2004, Warner Bros.Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
/Wea) – "Big Sur" - Eklektikos Live (2005) – "Say it Ain't So"
- The Acoustic AlbumThe Acoustic Album (compilation)The Acoustic Album is a 2-disc compilation album released by EMI/Virgin Records in July 2006 to showcase songs heard on Virgin Radio.-Track listing:Disc 1:#Jack Johnson - "Breakdown"#Corinne Bailey Rae - "Put Your Records On"...
(2006, VirginVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
) – "Santa Cruz"
In media
"Big Sur" from So Much for the City features in commercials on French television, for the Midi-PyrénéesMidi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
tourism center.
"One Horse Town" from So Much for the City was used as the title music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for the second and third series of the BBC sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
series Tittybangbang
Tittybangbang
Tittybangbang is a female-led television sketch comedy, performed by Lucy Montgomery and Debbie Chazen, which ran between 2005 and 2007 on BBC Three. The show was largely written by Bob Mortimer and Jill Parker and produced by their company Pett Productions.-History:Bob Mortimer and Lisa Clark...
, and also features in commercials for Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
.
Adam Brody
Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody is an American film and television actor and part time musician. He began his career in 1995, appearing on Gilmore Girls and other series, and subsequently came to fame for his role as Seth Cohen on The O.C. Brody later appeared in several film roles, including Mr. & Mrs...
, who played Seth Cohen
Seth Cohen
Seth Ezekiel Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Adam Brody. Seth was one of the "core four" characters on The O.C. alongside Ryan Atwood, Marissa Cooper, and Summer Roberts.-Background:...
on The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, is a fan of The Thrills. Their music featured in two episodes of The O.C. including a guest appearance by the band members themselves on the second season episode "The Ex-Factor", where they played "Saturday Night", "Not For All the Love in the World" and "The Curse of Comfort".
"Big Sur" appears on the soundtrack and compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Music from the OC: Mix 2.
"There's Joy to Be Found/The Boy Who Caught All the Breaks" featured in the 17 October 2007 episode of Private Practice.
"Midnight Choir" is used in the background for many scenes in Season 2 of the French television drama Clara Sheller.