Produced by Chris Walla (formerly of Death Cab For Cutie), with whom the band has worked frequently, We Disappear was recorded in Portland at Kung Fu Bakery (The Shins, Tegan and Sara) and in Seattle, WA at The Hall of Justice (Nirvana, Mudhoney). The album ‰ÛÒ which will arrive ahead of the 10th anniversary of their acclaimed third LP The Body, The Blood, The Machine‰ÛÒ is an authentic, dark, and deeply personal album couched in The Thermals‰۪ trademark catchy and boundless pop/rock. The band examines technology, love, and death throughout: how separation in humanity can come through any of these avenues; how people try to outrun the demise of lives and relationships; how technology can isolate us and impact our relationships even as we completely ‰ÛÒ and willingly ‰ÛÒ assimilate ourselves into it (or go ‰ÛÏInto The Code,‰ as the opening track suggests); and how we‰۪ve begun to forego privacy for a feeling of immortality in order to not be ignored or forgotten.åÊ
Harris explains, ‰ÛÏTechnology, love and death are the three obsessions of the record. Our privacy used to be so important to us and now everything has changed - we freely offå_er once private information about relationships and reveal everything about our day-to-day lives. We‰۪re trying to preserve our life digitally so when we‰۪re gone people won‰۪t forget us. We‰۪re using technology to become immortal. You can even set up Facebook and Twitter accounts to continue updating after you die! We Disappear is about how humans fight the inevitable.
‰Harris‰۪s heartfelt lyrics ‰ÛÒ which draw heavily from his own recent experiences in contrast to his earlier, mostly fictitious tales ‰ÛÒ are both complimented and contrasted by the music. The galloping anthem ‰ÛÏHey You‰ depicts a paranoid fantasy of fleeing from the Grim Reaper as he calls after you; the poppy, sing-along sadness of ‰ÛÏMy Heart Went Cold‰ plays on the double metaphor of the loss of love/life; and the surprisingly uplifting, soaring ‰ÛÏThinking Of You‰ is both a straight-forward love song and relationship eulogy. We Disappear is a walk through modern life and love, and despite its dark themes, The Thermals here deliver one of their most spirited, anthemic, and rousing releases to date.