Time Thieves Release New Single “Biking Through Berlin”

Chicago power pop quartet Time Thieves share “Biking Through Berlin,” a first look at a slew of new material the band is working on for an upcoming release. The single arrives ahead of a run of dates leading to their FEST appearance in Gainesville, Florida, on October 23.

The track is a whimsical, if hopeless, travelogue. Its narrator imagines faraway places and fantastic adventures while watching the world come apart around him in real time. Guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Pool woke up one morning with the majority of the song rattling around in his head after falling asleep watching Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited.

The result is bright, hooky power pop with an undercurrent of dread. Pool engineered the recording at the band’s practice space and his home studio, with mixing and mastering by Luke McNeill, whose work with The Copyrights and Hospital Job gives it some extra pop-punk bite.

It’s also the first recording to feature Micki Harris, who recently joined as permanent bassist. Harris rounds out the lineup of guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Pool (Brickfight, Sass Dragons), lead guitarist and vocalist Tim Reynolds (Hospital Job, Horrible Things), and drummer Mustafa Daka, who has played in The Brokedowns, Smoking Popes, and Post Child. Reynolds, who designed the single’s artwork, is an accomplished visual artist and former graphic design manager at Polyvinyl, where he worked with American Football and Alvvays.

“When our longtime bass player and good friend Annie Saunders moved to Minneapolis earlier this year, we had no idea how we were going to fill her shoes. Micki stepped right in and quickly became an indispensable part of the band. I was stoked to work with them on this new recording. It felt like the right way to kick off a busy stretch of shows and travel, and we’re excited to hit the road and show the rest of the country our new stuff,” says Pool.

Time Thieves formed in 2015, when Pool and original drummer Mike Oberlin (Sass Dragons, Rad Payoff) set out to start a band inspired by The Rentals and Grandaddy. Coming primarily from DIY punk bands, the members treat Time Thieves as an exercise in melody and songcraft that keeps the energy of their punk roots. Together Time Thieves bring years of Midwestern DIY experience that culminates in concise, catchy two- to four-minute songs with crunchy riffs and introspective lyrics, delivered in a 25-minute set that can destroy a crowd, apologize for it, and clear the stage before the next band has their hi-hat stand together.

Come Home/If You Survive has found a home on college and community radio since its release. “Fool’s Gold” hit #1 in Top Adds on Chicago’s CHIRP Radio, and “Remember I Forgot” held the #1 spot on WPHS‘s NACC chart in Michigan for six straight weeks last summer. Time Thieves have also been featured by Under the Radar, the Chicago Reader, and Newcity, and “Remember I Forgot” was named a Buried Treasure pick by Sound Opinions’ Jim DeRogatis earlier this year.

Time Thieves’ weeklong FEST tour takes them through Kentucky, Georgia, and Florida, building up to their set at Loosey’s in Gainesville, FL.

TIME THIEVES FEST TOUR

10/17 – Louisville, KY @ Mag Bar w/ Jon Snodgrass
10/18 – Lexington, KY @ The Green Lantern w/ Dreaded Laramie
10/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Rocky Mountain Pizza
10/20 – Bradenton, FL @ Oscura w/Dreaded Laramie
10/21 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub w/ A Wilhelm Scream
10/22 – Gainesville, FL @ Backyard/Palomino w/ Tiltwheel
10/23 – Gainesville, FL @ Loosey’s (FEST SHOWCASE)