Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Alternative PressApr 12, 2013Thermals don't aim to shock. They don't aim to please, either, and their dynamic punk spirit is as smart and infectious as when they began in 2002. [May 2013, p.92]
-
MagnetMay 10, 2013This half-hour slab of very high-energy punk would be cathartic if its root darkness weren't so persistently unsettling. [No. 98, p.60]
-
Apr 16, 2013Desperate Ground is easily the best Thermals record since The Body, The Blood, The Machine.
-
Apr 17, 2013This batch of tunes has got enough of everything The Thermals do best to satisfy their die-hards (who might call it a "return to form") and would even be a good jumping-off point for new fans.
-
Apr 16, 2013Suffice to say that this 26-minute concept album is confirmation of the power and enduring brilliance of the Thermals as they show no signs of slowing up--no signs of any erosion in their quality--and for that, we should be thankful.
-
Apr 15, 2013By daring to show a bit of personality, the Thermals continue to prove themselves in today's musical landscape.
-
Apr 12, 2013As ever, their key skill is being extremely dark as well as mega poppy.
-
Apr 12, 2013The huge accomplishment of Desperate Ground is this ability to grow up some without slowing down; but quite the opposite, the Thermals return to form with this scrappy collection, blazing through serious topics but never dropping the tempo long enough to get overwrought or self-indulgent.
-
Apr 18, 2013What stops Desperate Ground from eclipsing the Thermals' best work is its periodical monotony.
-
Apr 18, 2013Desperate Ground feels less righteous and ironic without the Dubyah & Guantanamo backdrop.
-
Apr 15, 2013Newer fans might not be totally impressed here but existing ones yearning for Harris’ observations should be satisfied otherwise.
-
Apr 12, 2013Desperate Ground is another great demonstration of what makes this band one of America’s worst kept secrets.
-
Apr 12, 2013The Thermals are still a band in awkward transition resulting in a record that is reliably good by their own decent standards, but which fails to fulfil its very apparent potential to be great.
-
Apr 12, 2013Though undeniably powerful, Desperate Ground does become a bit monotonous due to the lack of variety of mood and change in pace.
-
Apr 17, 2013It’s a loud and brash album, but too often, that’s all it is.