Chicago indie-rock band Time Thieves began when frontman Jonathan Pool (guitar, lead vocals) and Mike Oberlin (drums) tossed around the idea of forming a power pop band after spending years in Chicago’s punk scene. After releasing their EP Come Home in May, they’re releasing a second EP this fall with If You Survive on October 3rd to show a darker, and often heavier sound that will complete a fuller picture alongside the previous EP.
If You Survive continues their streak from the spring, and both EPs follow their debut album Space via Anxious & Angry in 2020. This spring’s EP Come Home was reviewed by Maximum Volume,who gave the EP 8 out of 10 stars. Pool recorded and mixed both Come Home and the upcoming If You Survive between Kildare Studios and his house. Engineer Luke McNeil (The Copyrights, Dan Vapid, Big in Japan) mastered both EPs.
Under The Radar shared the last single “Fool’s Gold, writing it “initially reveals hints of the band’s heavier shades, opening on squalling guitar lines and distorted riffs before settling into a chugging bassline. However, this rumbling tinge also comes packaged with wiry power pop guitars and an undeniably charming melodic edge.”
Thoughts Words Action,Punk Rock Theory, and Chicago Music Guide shared the new single, who wrote, “this band became an exercise in focusing on melody and the craft of song while still retaining the energy and emotion of their punk roots.”
Sharing decades’ worth of midwestern punk cumulatively, Time Thieves say they’re a band stewed in punk but decidedly not punk. The band also includes Annie Saunders on bass and co-songwriter Tim Reynolds on lead guitar, with both members sharing backup vocal duties, and their other drummer Mustafa Daka (currently filling in for Mike Oberlin) has also been touring this year with Smoking Popes.
The band writes concise but catchy 2-4 minute power pop songs, full of crunchy guitar riffs and melodic vocals contrasted against more introspective lyricism. The EPs will be combined as one full-length record later this winter, with both EPs building on a thematic narrative and power pop-inspired sound across the combined 10 songs.
Bassist Annie Saunders has been profiled in alt-weekly the Chicago Reader for her work with Punk House Chicago, documenting the city’s past and present of punk. Lead guitarist and co-songwriter Tim Reynolds is an accomplished visual artist and graphic designer who creates the artwork for Time Thieves and served as the graphic design manager at Polyvinyl, where he created designs for artists such as American Football, Diane Coffee, and Alvvays.
Chicago music podcast Car Con Carne recently interviewed the band about both the EPs, and Rebel Noise shared the EP’s previous single, “Stare at the Sun,” writing, “The track builds on the band’s signature mix of urgency and melody, fusing gritty, fuzzed-out power chords with sticky vocal hooks and smart rhythmic shifts that keep your ears perked from start to finish.”
Music N Gear wrote of the lead single, “This one kicks off with fuzz-laden guitars that leave no space to overthink […] The chorus bursts bright and sticks instantly, carrying that mix of punk bite and melodic ease that Time Thieves nail so well. It’s quick, sharp, and built to be cranked.”
Under The Radar summed up the band’s sound best when they wrote, “the band makes melodic and riff-heavy power pop, hearkening back to unabashedly hooky bands like Weezer, Fountains of Wayne, and The Rentals while retaining plenty of churning Chicago punk energy.”
Time Thieves are releasing “If You Survive” on October 3rd before compiling the upcoming EP with the recent “Come Home” as a full-length record later this winter.
Guitar-driven power pop 4-piece TIME THIEVES first formed in Chicago in 2015 after Jonathan Pool (guitar, lead vocals) and Mike Oberlin (drums) talked for years about forming a band based on power pop bands like The Rentals, Grandaddy, OVENS, and early Weezer. Having both played in many punk bands over the years, this band became an exercise in focusing on melody and the craft of song while still retaining the energy and emotion of their punk roots.
With the addition of Annie Saunders (bass, vocals) and Tim Reynolds (lead guitar, vocals) the band has a shared history of collectively more decades worth of midwestern punk in one band that is decidedly not punk. Previous (and current) bands from these DIY lifers include Sass Dragons, This is My Fist!, Ambition Mission, Brickfight, Hospital Job, Horrible Things and many more.
TIME THIEVES is the culmination of four lifetime’s worth of experience, love of music and performance, and focus on songcraft rolled up into one perfectly crafted 25-minute set of that knows how to destroy a crowd, apologize for it, and then get their gear off the stage well before the next band even has their hi-hat stand put together.
| TIME THIEVES are: |
| Jonathan Pool – guitar, lead vocals |
| Annie Saunders – bass, vocals |
| Tim Reynolds – lead guitar, vocals |
| Mustafa Daka – drums |
Visit TIME THIEVES online:
Website: https://timethieves.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timethieveschicago/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timethieveschicago/
Bandcamp: https://timethieveschicago.bandcamp.com/music
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/TimeThievesChicago
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/time-thieves
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