Pitchfork

With the departure of drummer Lorin Coleman and a brief return to their days as duo Hutch and Kathy, it's been a while since the name of Portland's Thermals has graced a marquee. All that will change come December, when the band embarks on a brief but very welcome intercontinental tour, as promised back in August.

The dates find Hutch, Kathy, and maybe even ol' Jar Jar sticking close to the Pacific Northwest before heading to Spain, England, and the Netherlands. A note on the band's MySpace blog hints that more shows may or may not make their way into the current itinerary, and that the Thermals will definitely be back for additional dates in 2009, "when our damn record comes out."

Ah, yes, that record. Now We Can See, the band's fourth, is currently being mixed down at producer John Congleton's Elmwood Studio. The set has a ton of potential tracks, but is still without a proper release date or a label for now.

The Thermals:

12-04 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
12-05 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
12-06 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
12-12 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Club Festival
12-13 Madrid, Spain - Primavera Club Festival
12-14 London, England - KCLSU
12-17 Utrecht, Netherlands - Ekko
12-18 Groningen, Netherlands - Vera