Thumpers are not necessarily all that new to me as I’ve been listening to their stuff for a good few months now and I do absolutely love them. But I thought it was about time I wrote a new music post about them to introduce any of you who haven’t already heard of them or listened to them to the band because they are one you definitely need to know about.
Thumpers are duo Marcus Pepperall and John Hamson Jr from London and after forming and starting to release music last year the pair have gone from strength to strength gaining plenty of fans to their upbeat sound. Back in 2006 this pair were releasing music and playing shows as Pull Tiger Tail which was described as a new rave grunge act, after a split and after Hamson Jr’s spell being the touring bassist and percussion master for Friendly Fires, the pair are back together having another shot at making music but an altogether different kind.
Describing themselves on their Facebook page as Co-Ed Alt-Pop the pair create danceable melodies with catchy vocals with plenty going on in their sound from synths, drums, bass, guitars and more. Back in the Pull Tiger Tail days and still now the pair mix up which instruments they play onstage, though Pepperall is mainly classed as vocals, guitar, piano and keys and Hamson Jr is classed as drums, bass and vocals they do swap and change their instruments. But though their sound is uptempo, grand and quite uplifting, lyrically there are themes of sadness and realisations of reality.
Their sound has captured the imagination and attention of many not just fans but also critics and DJ’s alike. Having recorded a session for Line of Best Fit, been Steve Lamacq’s new favourite band of the week on 6Music and been featured by Topman as their Ctrl Track of the Day back in June, it seems the pair are making the right waves in a crowded music scene. Compared to bands such as Passion Pit, Animal Collective, Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire and Two Door Cinema Club, it seems that even the critics can’t make their mind up exactly what sounds influence these two all they know is it’s exciting, different and bound to put a smile on your face. This is how The Guardian described Thumpers in their ‘New Band of the Day’ piece; “This happy-clappy duo sound like one of those Canadian collectives with lots of members who sound like they’re ODing on joy.”
With previous single ‘Dancing’s Done’ featuring epic sounds pitted against fast vocals and a rock tinged guitar riff, while the quick beat, high pitched vocals and deeper more interesting synth of current single ‘Unkinder’ both show they are releasing consistently good music. An EP with remixes and B-Sides has been released for both tracks with options to download online via iTunes or vinyl and physical copies online. There has been no word of an album yet but with a summer full of shows and festivals such as Tramlines, Blissfields and Leefest it really is a busy time for the band.
To find out more about Thumpers visit their website, Facebook page, listen to them on Soundcloud or follow them on Twitter – @thumpers_
Below is the video for the current single from the pair, ‘Unkinder’:
Credits
Mixtape Couture 