Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles told us about his love for a Thrills lick...
Jack Wolter: One of my fav riffs is the intro to "Big Sur" by The Thrills.
My mum showed me this song when I was 13, and The Thrills quickly became one of my biggest influences. Their twangy guitars, falsetto vocals, and glorious sun-soaked harmonies completely drew me in—my whole family, too! Lily and I named our first album after one of their songs.
The opening riff to Big Sur is soooooo good. The way the guitar sits in the mix and the atmosphere it creates from the very first note. It's utterly contagious. It's intentional, playful, and shimmery - the way it floats over that sweeping synth and that strange bubbling sound. I think it's probably a banjo doubled with an electric guitar, giving it that almost 12-string quality—maybe even played on a Telecaster too. Whatever it is, it’s an absolute summer banger, and I have defo borrowed a lot from The Thrills.
A few years later, my Mum and I went to see them play in Liverpool. It was one of the first times I'd seen a band whom I was completely in love with, and it felt incredibly special. Telecasters everywhere, shiny drum kits, checkered slip-on Vans, and black velvet jackets. For my 17th birthday, I got a black custom Fender Tele, and of course, was rockin' a velvet jacket and checkered Vans and trying my best to write riffs that sounded like The Thrills! (I also wanted a telecaster cus the Bloc Party guys played them too!)
Other fave guitar moments by The Thrills - the solo in "Don't Steal Our Sun" and the tone of the guitar in the intro to "Say It Ain't So."
Penelope Isles' singles "I Loved You, Robert Pattinson" and "Thinking Seat" are out now, with an album, 3, due September 25 via Bella Union.
Photo credit: Declan Haughian
