Thala - avalanche - fire

AT RADIO NOW

Following on from her formative debut ‘Adolescence’, Thala releases her remarkable new album ‘Avalanche’ set for release 14th February on Fire Records. As 2023’s EPs revisited painful chapters in her life, ‘Avalanche’ offers a more focussed worldview, tackling more mature matters of the heart.

Drawn to the cerebral emotion of early 90s shoegaze and indie, these are songs to live by – like a modern day Juliana Hatfield, this is pop music that blossoms from verse to chorus much like Hope Sandoval, by way of Ethal Cain and Japanese Breakfast. 

A reawakening, full of positivity and purpose from the everyday thrall of life. ‘Avalanche’ sees Thala caught in that moment when indie confidently explodes into soaring panoramic rock, a coming of age statement and a strident evolution from her previous work. Opening cut ‘1st of the year’ is a heady slice of realisation that everything’s not going to work out as planned and is an outpouring of emotion which reveals a darker side to her music.

“It’s a very introspective song, every word is what I felt at that moment, utterly heartbroken. I learned a lot at the beginning of this year; I learned I was capable of loving and hurting because of it.” adds Thala

It sets the scene for a cathartic awakening; Thala is a performer living life’s rich adventures and rolling with its punches; ‘don’t want u to die’ is an honest parable filled with modern-day melancholy, it’s a liberating piece of indie rock that surges with dramatic heft and is executed with pinpoint precision; ‘spit it out’ is a cursory chronicle of revenge served cold, while ‘tongue-tied & starry-eyed’ (featuring Communion artist Sfven) is the understanding that sometimes you just have to move on.

Thala takes us on her personal trip as ‘drive song’ slides into a somnambulant plea with vintage Cure-like chiming guitars while ‘body to you’ raises the ante with a gloriously triumphant chorus of “it’s alright, it’s alright”.

An exceptionally gifted artist, Thala’s enigmatic live shows have seen her recently selected for SXSW, The Great Escape, Reepherbahn and Eurosonic festivals as well as touring with Temples, Paolo Nutini, Snail Mail, Current Joys and Surf Curse. She’s had prevalent support from the likes of BBC Radio 1 (Nels Hylton, Sian Eleri, Jack Saunders), KEXP, Flood, The Line Of Best and has featured in Rough Trade’s ‘On The Rise’.