thus love

Joy courses through this second record of post punk infused power pop from the Vermonters - it might not always be apparent, particularly when lost amongst wabes of psychedelic frenzy, but the message is certainly there even if you scratch just a single fingernail beneath the surface.

Their second LP swoons, shakes, and swaggers with a combination of grit and sensuality that’s been hard to locate in music, lately. It’s called, fittingly, 'All Pleasure'. The album came out of a period of dizzying growth and transformation for the group. When they began work on it, vocalist/guitarist Echo Mars and drummer Lu Racine were still reeling from the runaway success of their 2022 debut Memorial—a set of lush, elegant post-punk that brought praise from The FADER, the NME, and the Guardian—along with processing the departure of the founding bassist. With 'All Pleasure', the band re-formed with new bassist Ally Juleen and guitarist/keyboardist Shane Blank. The group convened in a barn in the woods that Mars had transformed into a recording studio, and kept one rule at the forefront: “If it’s not joyful, don’t do it.”

What emerged from that mission is a stunningly gorgeous album, full of big, arcing melodies and a range of kinky stylistic twists that will surprise listeners who know the group just for Memorial’s chorus-drenched 80sstyle psychedelia. “Birthday Song” gives grungy glam rock with a transcendent hook that underlines Echo’s lyrical tribute to communal joy. “Get Stable” transmutes existential panic into sharp-angled punk pop. The anthemic title track is something like the album’s mission statement, paying tribute to the power of joyful creation.

Mixed by Matthew Hall and Rich Costey and mastered by Bob Weston, 'All Pleasure' was recorded as live as possible, capturing the sheer infectious ecstasy that comes from sharing space together and making a divine racket. Put on 'All Pleasure', tap into the energy that Thus Love is putting out, and you just might find an escape.