You'd think that life would be pretty good for the most successful band to come out of Dublin since U2. The Thrills' second album, however, finds the Blackrock boys in surprisingly downbeat mood, grappling with such gloomy subjects as the perils of fame, casual sex and the boorish Saturday night behaviour they see on the road. If that all sounds like a gigantic whinge, don't worry - the most important thing is that the songs on Let's Bottle Bohemia have a dynamism and urgency that was sometimes missing from their incredibly popular debut. The more obvious West Coast stylings have been toned down considerably, replaced by a jaunty soft-rock sound that suits Conor Deasy's tremulous vocals remarkably well. So, not as many thrills this time around - but plenty of evidence to suggest that these boys are here for the long haul.
