THE THERMALS, “RETURNING TO THE FOLD”

THE THERMALS, “RETURNING TO THE FOLD”

decisions today, and listening to The Thermals’ “Returning To The Fold” feels as urgent and present as when the song was released. Hutch Harris’ lyrics twist in knots over blind faith and deception, with lines like “I regret leaving my soul/I forgot I needed it to feel” and “But I still have faith/If I ever had faith/Wait for me, wait for me” tracing the deep divide between the narrator’s beliefs and the reality he’s in. The track, a brief aside from the album’s story of escaping a fascist faux-Christian America, sounds like a blueprint that garage rock’s been building off over the past fifteen years: pulsing rhythm guitar, cymbal-heavy drums, and soaring, half-shouted vocals draped over top. It’s well worth a revisit, for the compassion and verve that The Thermals bring to their music and for the all-too-relevant commentary it contains.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #100 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

/by
You might also like
Episode 14 – Mean ColleenEpisode 14 – Mean Colleen
Flattening The Curve by Extradition OrderFlattening The Curve by Extradition Order
Ep 101 – `Quarantine 5: Stuff We Learned from B.Y.’ With music by: Schoolboy Cubemaster, Limp Wrist, Lumps, Botwins Are Dead, Fantomex, ButtholeEp 101 – `Quarantine 5: Stuff We Learned from B.Y.’ With music by: Schoolboy Cubemaster, Limp Wrist, Lumps, Botwins Are Dead, Fantomex, Butthole
Ep 99 – `Quarantine 3: April Madness’ FEAT: Rasputina, Axxa/Abraxas, Cloud City Caskets, Toga!, Lavender Blue, The HummsEp 99 – `Quarantine 3: April Madness’ FEAT: Rasputina, Axxa/Abraxas, Cloud City Caskets, Toga!, Lavender Blue, The Humms
Songs We Like: Intro/The Drifter by the 1865Songs We Like: Intro/The Drifter by the 1865
GRACE JOYNER, “FAKE GIRLFRIEND”GRACE JOYNER, “FAKE GIRLFRIEND”