Written by Alex Restrepo

It all started in 2016 with a seed that was planted with “such a bad flyer” placed in a campus music building in Madison, WI. Thompson Springs drummer Jacob Bicknase and singer Matt Smith recall the origin story of the group while exchanging some playful smirks. The two are not only bandmates but also roommates in Logan Square. Bassist David Thrift and guitarist Cook (filling in for Jeff Sullivan) joined the band after meeting at various gigs once the guys made the move to Chicago, a scene that David describes as “thriving,” especially for genre-bending acts like Thompson Springs who meld sounds from genres like country, Americana, indie rock, and folk. 

Thompson Springs’ sound features breezy acoustic guitar melodies that can swoop you up and carry you away along with the airy vocals. And yet, alternatively, electric riffs and solos can yank you into a harder, grungier space with minimal vocals, but feature sonic jams galore. The bands’ eclectic catalog is one you can find yourself easily meandering through to unwind, or to get hyped up by some classic rock sounds that crash and bang with a fresh twist. This sonic duality is something to be admired by anyone who’s ever tried to write a song.

The band and their sound have now settled their roots in Chicago, and their new home has grown on them. Since arriving on the scene, the guys have garnered some regional success with their first two EPs Artifacts (2016), and Fond Regards (2017), including recording a jam-packed PBS 30-Minute News Hour session in 2019 featuring a Velvet Underground cover (which you should go check out), and Detroit Public Radio (WDET) made comparisons of their songwriting approach to that of Kurt Vile. 

Pre-pandemic you may have caught Thompson Springs at indie Chicago venue staples like Schubas or Hideout, or if you’re deep enough in the scene, maybe you heard them at their own house shows in Logan Square. But alas, we are very much so still mid-pandemic, and with that, a lot has changed for musicians and the way they release their new music, and these guys are no exception. 

The pandemic forced the band to get creative when releasing their debut album, Undertones, in July 2020. The eight-track album was recorded in Nashville and a few tracks were produced by none other than Pat Sansone of Wilco. With lockdown restrictions in place, Undertones virtually premiered in partnership with Lincoln Hall + Schubas on a livestream from Matt & Jacob’s backyard.

Through this nightmarish roller coaster, the band seems to be in good spirits and are buckled in for whatever the future holds, “One of the reasons I think live music has survived is because it’s such a personal connection. You know it’s an intimate thing that you share with the people that are in the audience that nobody else, even if you’re on a camera phone, nobody else really feels that. So I think it has to come back because it’s such a unique experience,” Jacob said with reassuring confidence. Bandmate David added that despite how bleak the immediate future may look, music is not going anywhere, “Short term it’s gonna be a while, but like long term, I’m not worried about music in general. . . you know humans adjust. We figure it out. 

That really is what it boils down to; art is not going to stop, and in the meantime, we can thank bands like Thompson Springs for doing their part to bring some good vibes and music to the world through their art.

The band just released a new single called “Fayetteville Hotline,” also mixed by Sansone. Come for the fun ASMR lead-in, stay for country-flavored crooning. The track was inspired by various hotline billboards the guys saw in the south while on tour in early 2020, and decided to tell a story about a hotline for heartbreak. You can hear the heartbroken hotline here.

If you’d like to keep tabs on Thompson Springs, follow them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and you can support their music by streaming it on Spotify, Apple Music, & Soundcloud, or better yet, you can buy their music on Bandcamp.