Thrills N.A.F.I.T.C. Original Boston Punk 1977-1981

(Saddle up folks, and get ready for another trip down memory lane with another Bacchus Archives release. No this isn’t that country/pop act that’s breakin’ up the airwaves, but rather a ’77-’81 rip-off punk outfit from Boston. This band’s connection to fame would be that Kevin “GG” Allin had a short lived stint as the drummer. As always with Bacchus, this release is collection of songs spanning the groups short career, some recorded live, some from a studio.

Rather than being compared to The Ramones or fellow female fronted group, Blondie, the Thrills sound a lot more like the grungy side of The Pretenders coming out it full force, something that I always wanted from The Pretenders. Barb Kitson’s vocals are gorgeously rich clear, even in the dirtiest live recordings. While the influence of The Ramones is a lot more clear in their earlier material(I mean, c’mon, everything was recorded from late ’77-early ’79), song structures are more characterized by walking bass lines and loose-high hat drumming with intelligent, fills as the band matured.
It’s a solid release of lo-fi recorded material. Recommended for fans of the ’77 punk scene, or The Pretenders)