In the beginning there was Thump… something strange and funky condensing out of the primordial ooze. Then: underground house parties and backyard raves, stuff of legend still whispered about in Los Angeles. And now: the Space Barn blasts off, and Thumpasaurus is ready to engage a new frontier in the Thumpaverse.
The inspired members of Thumpasaurus—Lucas Tamaren (vocals, guitar), Henry Was (drums, production), Logan Kane (bass), Henry Solomon (saxophone), Paul Cornish (keys), and Ben Benjamin (visuals/pancakes)—have been honing their craft and gaining a loyal cult for their experimental shows since they first got together 2015. Known equally for their musicality and theatricality, Thump has shared bills with Louis Cole, Vulfpeck, Jacob Collier, and more while individual members may have been spotted on stages with HAIM, Louis Cole, Ye, Snoh Aalegra, and the list goes on…
Through their relentless energy, creativity, and a touch of the absurd, Thumpasaurus tries to point towards our inner realities and teach us how to conjure joy out of thin air. Thanks to catchy choruses and memorable lessons, their songs will stick with you: from mental karate chopping all the bad thoughts, to “I’M PISSED – leave me alone” (working out anger through dance.) Fearless about the future, explorations of the Thumpaverse aren’t limited to their musical palette. Their live shows and memorable music videos feature collaborations with AI, experiments with lore and an expanded universe and iconic team-ups with visual artists and world-renowned clowns.
2022 was Thumpasaurus’s biggest year yet. The capricious gods of TikTok shone down on them and catapulted their confident tune “Struttin’” onto the phones of millions—and then their televisions, too, as the tune featured prominently in an international Samsung ad. Thousands of new fans from all over the world piled into the Space Barn as Thump sold out shows all over the U.S on their “Struttin Across America” tour. The band racked up 5 million streams on Spotify and made their international late night debut in France, appearing on Alain Chabat’s “Le Late” right after the 2022 World Cup.
On the tail of this momentum as the “Thump experiment” reached worldwide audiences, their third album Hard began in the studio. In order to attempt to capture the lightning-in-a-bottle magic of their shows, the Thumpiest of all Thump experiences, they tracked live as a full band, and then sprinkled further funk on top. It’s stuffed full of bangers, as per usual. “We set out to seek what would be the natural evolution of our sound,” says Lucas Tamaren of the new album. “It showcases our development as a live band as well as our members’ individual growth as producers in their own right.”
The first single “Lipstick Makeup,” with a surreal music video created with director and animator Dylan Woodley, is a no-nonsense banger about getting ready to go to a party and feeling unstoppable, and proves that this is about to be their Thumpiest album yet by far. “Lipstick Makeup is about saying fuck it. I’m letting my freak out tonight and gettin real nice with it. It’s about being tired of all the pressures of life that make me live in anxiety and prevent me from being my authentic self. Tonight it’s different, because I’m on my way to the dance party.”
Next came “Terrified”, a song about the terror of falling in love accompanied by a zombie slasher music video featuring a chainsaw guitar. “I was having big feelings when I wrote this song,” says Tamaren. “I was entering a relationship and everything felt manic, blissful, and awful at the same time. That’s why this song sounds so big and dramatic, almost theatrical. This song is an odyssey.”
Most recently, the band released their new single “I’m Cute”, a bass-driven self-affirmation anthem. “I’m Cute is about being cute. Putting on those little pants. That ball cap. It’s about feeling good. So good it’s almost sinister. Maybe something’s wrong. But how could it be if you feel this… Cute?”
The new record, and the major international tour they’re undertaking to promote it, are doors opening to all new potential disciples: an entry point into the fantastic, imaginative worlds Thumpasaurus has created for themselves and their listeners. To all of their audience past, present and future… Let there be THUMP.
