The Thrills - So Much for the City

Is it any wonder that Irish lads are obsessed with America’s West Coast? Dublin’s Thrills are clearly infatuated with all things California, from the Beach Boy harmonies of the opening “Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far)” to the Byrdsian jingle-jangle of “Big Sur.” There are also echoes of transplanted Torontonians Neil Young and The Band on “’Til the Tide Creeps In” and “Say It Ain’t So.” With banjos, falsettos and faux pedal steel, they’re like giddy school kids—tickled by the novelty of having sand between their toes.