The Thousands

Tortoiseshell. A breezy band of bros channeling Talking Heads, Happy Mondays, ESG and submerging your summer body in shallow waves.

This Saturday, they launch their debut single, ‘This Girl’, at GOODGOD. And in anticipation, they’ve created a mixtape with the recurring theme of god’s greatest gift – the girl. They also answered a few questions.

Most important thing to remember when creating a mixtape?
It has to be personal and it has to have a nice flow. You’re essentially bequeathing the listener (regardless of how many sets of ears it’s going to) with the ultimate musical gift.   

What’s this one’s best feature?
The girls of course! It is a reoccurring theme again, and again, and again within music. Girl as discarded, fashion trash – ‘This Year’s Girl’ by Elvis Costello; Girl as multi-national object of desire – Beastie Boys ‘To All the Girls’; Girl as independent, all night, home wrecker ‘Party Girl’ by Grace Jones and so and so forth.

As a band of brothers / cousins / soul sisters, was it hard times narrowing down the mixtape selection, or was it a one bro job?
This assignment was easy; we normally end up in an argumentative snake pit. The brief was: Pick two songs each about ‘a girl’.   

Why should we go the launch of your debut single, ‘This Gir’l?
We have a live show that’ll get your bottom end shaking and more girls than a 2 Live Crew reunion concert.  

Finally, who’s the girl?
It depends on who you speak to in the band. On face value it’s a love song. However if you look deeper ‘This Girl’ is also a metaphorical presence on the record. It is a ghostly, mystery being, beckoning for affection that is constantly yearned after but can never be found.