By Billy Florio

In the mid 1960s, one of the dominant styles hitting the airwaves was the cheerful sound of the pre-psychedelic West Coast music scene, called Sunshine Pop. The genre was epitomized by feel-good songs that provided rich vocal harmony and symphonic melodies, best shown in the works of Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys and the Monkees. By the 70s, the genre died out (being overshadowed by the San Francisco psychedelic scene as California’s premiere style), but within the last few years a revival of sorts has occurred with bands like Rooney and Belle and Sebastian.

The latest band to join the sunshine pop revival is Ireland’s The Thrills. They cling on to the California sound and most of the time, get it right.

The album opens up on their strongest notes with two of its singles, “Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far),” and “Big Sur.” These songs give the listener the formula for what to expect from this band. The masterful harmonies of “Santa Cruz” throw the listener back to the work of The Turtles. The chorus of “Big Sure” is very reminiscent of the Monkees’ latter work, and it seems only fitting that the Monkees Theme is referenced in the lyrics. The next track, “Don’t Steal Our Sun” is pure Beach Boys.

Aside from the first three, almost every other song on the album is a slower track. “Deckchairs and Cigarettes” is the first, giving us our first taste of lead singer Conor Deasy’s Morrissey-esque crooning and our first taste at where they go wrong. Here, they do not reflect the California sound at all, and The Thrills (ironic name) come out sounding more like Barry Manilow than a rock band. “Hollywood Kids” gets so repetitive that it’s hard to listen to and “‘Til The Tide Creeps In” seems like it was a rejected single from Neil Diamond’s “Jazz Singer” period.

Though the slow songs nearly ruin the album, the upbeat ones make it worth it. It is a great first album for an Irish Band echoing California. One can find enough enjoyment in the album’s good songs, that they can overlook the others. When The Thrills follow their idols’ formula, they really do live up to their name.