The first time I listened to the new Thermals album Now We Can See (pitchfork | metacritic) I didn’t think that much of it. But something told me I should listen again. So I did. And then I did again. And now I like it a lot.

Where their previous albums would contain one or two phenomenal songs like “Back To The Sea” or “How We Know”, the rest would lag badly. This album doesn’t have those highs, but neither does it have those lows. It’s more consistent, and it’s consistently good.

If you like fast, loose post-punk, check them out. An interesting side note is that their best songs, like “Here’s Your Future” or “Pillar Of Salt”, are tinged with religious stories. I don’t know the back story there, and I don’t think I wanna.

Go ahead, sample some of their music over at elbo.ws.