Thrillhouse: Smile Mini-Album Review + Q&A

I’ve been following Thrillhouse for years, going all the way back to their earliest releases. “One of These Days” was their first release that pulled me in, with that ridiculously addictive bass line and the new-wave energy that made the band so easy to latch onto.

If you aren't familiar they are a duo from Brighton, UK led by longtime collaborators Sam Baldwin and Jack Nielsen. The project began in 2018, and over the years their lineup has evolved around that core songwriting partnership.

That history is part of what makes Smile so interesting to me. This doesn’t sound like a band trying to recreate the songs that first got people’s attention. The new-wave undertones are still there in places, but the record feels more expansive, thoughtful and willing to move in unexpected directions. More than anything, it feels like evidence of how much Thrillhouse have grown since those early releases.

Before we get to the Q&A, here are a few of my standout tracks from Smile. That said, this is very much a full-album listen. Every song feels like part of the same story, and it’s one of those records worth playing from start to finish.

"Wanna See You Smile"
Warm, understated and instantly melodic, with just enough melancholy underneath to keep it from feeling overly sweet. There’s a maturity in the restraint here that makes the song feel effortless rather than overly polished.

"I'll Still Be There" There’s a moody, melodic new-wave pull that feels reminiscent of The Cure, especially in the atmosphere and guitar work, but it still fits naturally into the warmer, more expansive direction of the album.

"The Tide"
Rootsy and easygoing, with a classic songwriter feel that gives me serious Tom Petty vibes. The strength is in how natural it feels, with the melody and storytelling carrying the song rather than anything overly complicated.

"Torn Right Out Of The Palm Of Your Hands"
A sweeping, emotional closer with jangly guitars and a sense of release that makes it feel bigger as it unfolds. It has that satisfying final-track quality where the song feels like it is actually closing a chapter rather than simply ending the album.

Thrillhouse haven’t abandoned the new-wave instincts, but they’ve grown into a much broader songwriting band. There’s more classic rock, Americana and singer-songwriter influence here than I would have expected from those earliest releases.

With Smile showing such a noticeable shift in the band’s sound, I wanted to hear directly from Thrillhouse about what shaped the record, the choices behind that evolution and what they’ve learned since those early days.

WMB: “One of These Days” was the first Thrillhouse song I shared back in 2019, and I remember immediately getting hooked on that bass groove once I first heard from you! I’ve followed you from those early songs through to Smile, and the evolution has been pretty remarkable. For me, it really shows your range as musicians. When you look at the band you were making music as in 2019 versus Thrillhouse now, how do you see that evolution?

TH: Thanks Wendy! We really appreciate all the support you’ve given us over the years. 

Yea, it has changed quite hasn’t it! I’m not sure we’ve found the exact balance yet but we’re getting closer.

I think really we’ve evolved kinda naturally, even though it does seem like it’s a bit all over the place, mainly just down to circumstance. When we first started we wanted it to have a kinda Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem vibe. But we only had a couple written and recorded when we released the first one. Which we managed to time exquisitely and release right in time for Covid

So the first couple of years were whatever we could knock together in our bedrooms, sending songs back and forth whilst trying to avoid all other humans.

We didn’t really get the chance to figure out what Thrillhouse was in a room together till a couple of years later.

I think when we were able to rehearse together and actually play as a band it morphed into the more ’Americana-ey’ sound that became the first album. I don’t think there was any conscious decision to go that way. Just seemed to stumble into it. Plus, it’s more fun to play 3 minute dad rock tunes live than long looping synth pop.

Circumstance band evolution 3 came from me having a bit of a shit year and spending a lot of time writing miserable acoustic songs… Which is where we end ourselves now.

Well…having said that… We’ve just finished writing our 3rd record and it’s not miserable at all actually and perhaps the closest thing to what Thrillhouse is ‘meant’ to be… whatever that means. 

So yea, point is… I think the songs and sound have just been a bit of a representation of what’s been happening in our lives at the time we’re writing

WMB:  Back in your earlier days, you talked about influences like Talking Heads and Brian Eno and about building songs around loops and repetition. I can still hear some of that new-wave DNA in Smile, but now there’s folk, Americana and a much broader singer-songwriter influence running through it, too. Did what you were listening to change over those years, or were you simply becoming more interested in exploring influences that had always been there?

TH: I mean, if I’m totally honest, I pretty much exclusively listen to ABBA and AC/DC and have done for as long as I can remember. Occasionally throwing In a bit of Phil Collins if I’m feeling adventurous.

I’m not sure we’ve ever made anything that has managed to mix those 3 together. Though someone should. It may be game changing.

Whilst we were writing Smile I was listening to a lot of old Country and Folk, Bob D, John Prine, Joni Mitchell etc. ABBA and AC/DC aren't the best listening experience when you’re sad (except Winner Takes It All of course) but soft, wordy folk is great for when you’re not very happy. So that definitely influenced the album. 

I also think I’m a bit of a grass is always greener kinda guy when it comes to writing. I’ll hear something and think ‘ah man, I wish we sounded like that’. So I think I’ll always want to try something new or develop the way I write. I s’pose whatever I’m listening to at the time I’m likely to want to give a go.

WMB: I understand Smile started taking shape during a pretty significant season of personal change and difficult life circumstances. Rather than asking how that affected the lyrics, I’m curious about how it affected the sound. Did what you were going through change the kinds of textures, instrumentation or overall feeling you wanted the music itself to create?

TH: We wanted to write an album that felt like the uneven rhythm of life, all the ups’s and down etc blah blah… I’m not sure if we managed to or not but that was the idea anyway 

The lyrics are a lot more personal than I’ve written before so made sense that instrumentation matched it. The overall sound became a lot softer that the first album just down to the subject matter.

Musically it has a bit of a floaty feel at points. Without trying to sound pretentious, that was supposed to represent the feeling of being lost and the unknown. We tried to write parts that don’t fully resolve or don’t quite finish where they should to make that come across when listening.

Sorry, that does sound quite pretentious. I promise, we’re not!

WMB: One of the things I really love about Smile is how much ground it covers. There are songs with that familiar Thrillhouse pulse, while others move into Americana, folk, alt-country and classic singer-songwriter territory and yet it still feels cohesive. Has your idea of what a “Thrillhouse song” can sound like become broader as you’ve grown together as musicians?

TH: I think for us a good song is a good song really so if we write something that doesn’t sound like anything we’ve released before that doesn't really bother us. I don’t think there is a ‘Thrillhouse sound’. Either because we’ve never figured it out or more positively, we like to mix it up, experiment and push ourselves musically otherwise it can all get a bit boring. I think that attitude has made it hard for us to be put into a box which is both good and bad. 

As long as there are a few elements that can keep it feeling ‘Thrillhousey’ then that’s enough for us. What those elements are I couldn’t say. But we tend to know what they are when we’re listening back to the songs.

Though I imagine it might be quite jarring if you listened to us on shuffle, going from a bass driven synth pop to a folky acoustic song.

I hope we do settle on something and stick with it for a bit. It’d be nice to feel like you have an identity as a band I imagine.

WMB: “I’ll Still Be There” was the track that grabbed me immediately. I still hear some of the propulsive quality I associate with earlier Thrillhouse, but the vocals feel warmer and more organic.  There are moments where I even hear a little Mt. Joy in the delivery. Has your approach to using your vocals as part of the overall sound changed or did that just happen organically? 

TH: Yea big time. I’m a pretty reluctant singer. I spent most of my youth playing guitar at the back of a stage where no one could see me. 

I only started singing in Thrillhouse out of necessity really. The early stuff I was desperately trying hide the sound of my voice as I really didn’t like it very much. 

It was all caked in reverb, delay and about 4 double tracks

But I’ve gotten used to my voice now, I certainly wouldn’t go as far as to say i like it but it is what it is so may as well embrace it.

That has freed me up to be more melodic rather than try bury it in the track 

Also, I think this is the first album where the lyrics and melody were written before the music. So that made a big difference. 

Everything up to this album was music first, lyrics and melody second. Which is fine, but it gives you less room to play with melodically as you’re trying to slot it in and make it fit around other parts

Whereas all the songs on Smile were written on an acoustic guitar or piano first so there was a lot more focus on melody and lyrics which I don’t think I’ll change now. Definitely found that gets the best out of my limited voice.

WMB: There’s a lot of emotion and reflection throughout Smile, but there’s also a real sense of warmth and hope running through it, especially in “Wanna See You Smile.” When you finished the record and listened to it as a whole, did it feel like you had arrived somewhere musically or emotionally that you hadn’t necessarily expected when you began making it?

TH: Yea, I remember listening back to it and feeling it was a lot more positive and hopeful than I realised. By the time we’d finished recording it I thought we'd written a horribly miserable album that would just make people feel sadder after listening to it. 

But it does seem to have a streak of positivity running through it which is nice. 

I guess I wasn’t really actively thinking about it as we were writing it. I’m not the smartest cookie in the toolbox really so I often don’t think about these kinda things in the moment. 

I think it does chronicle the journey of a sad person. The choppy road to getting through a shit time. We had set out with that as the idea but when we were recording it though I did feel like the balance had gotten a bit too depressing. But when we got it back and listened in full, I think we did end up how we’d originally hoped.

WMB:  I'm so glad I took a listen so many years ago, and I’m genuinely happy you’re still here making music. Over the years I’ve watched quite a few bands I discovered through the blog eventually go their separate ways, so there’s something really cool about getting to hear how much you’ve progressed. What have you learned about yourselves and about being a band since those early days, and where do you want Thrillhouse to go from here? 

TH: Yea can’t thank you enough for writing about us all those years ago! 

Ideally the next stop is international superstardom and riches beyond belief but I think the reality is we’ll finish recording the 3rd album and hope a couple of people listen to it. 

I think our ambitions have certainly changed over the years. It is almightily difficult to get anywhere in music if you’re old, ugly and don’t have any money, it turns out. Well that’s been our experience anyway. 

So we’ve managed to temper expectations and just try to enjoy making music for what it is. 

We love writing and releasing music and if anything comes of it, that’d be great but if not, that’s ok too. 

Thrillhouse’s Smile is out now. Start with one of my favorites below, but give the full album a listen. This one deserves it.

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