Episode 199: Thala

Episode 199 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Berlin-based artist, Thala. Back in September, Thala released her debut album, adolescence, on Philadelphia’s Born Losers Records. Thala’s path to releasing her debut record was relatively short, as she only started playing guitar and performing at open mics in Berlin back in 2019. However, she quickly hit her stride, garnering positive feedback from those in her community almost immediately. By allowing intuition to guide her songwriting (and with an abundance of free time during the pandemic-induced lockdown), Thala was able to write and record the ten songs on adolescence in 2020 over a short period of time, developing a gorgeous and dreamy sound that draws influence from bands like Mazzy Star and Beach House.  Tune in to the interview to hear about how Thala’s experiences living in the Canary Islands inspired some of the lyrical themes on the record, how she was able to transform the singer-songwriter-esque compositions that she performed at open mics into the densely arranged songs on adolescence, what her recent first shows with a full band were like, and much more. Plus, Thala picked some awesome records from Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy, The Allah-Las, and more. You can follow along with her picks via the official playlist for Episode 199. You can purchase adolescent on limited edition vinyl via Born Losers Records. You can also check out Thala’s music on both Bandcamp and Spotify. Keep up with her by following her on Instagram.