In the age of streaming platforms and social media, stimulation is easy to come by. Real pleasure, howeverthe kind that feeds our soul rather than draining itis in shockingly short supply. The second LP by Thus Love is full of that kind of nourishing euphoria. It swoons, shakes, and swaggers with a combination of grit and sensuality thats been hard to locate in music lately. Its called, fittingly,All Pleasure.

The album came out of a period of dizzying growth and transformation for the group. When they began work on it, vocalist/guitarist Echo Mars and drummer Lu Racine were still reeling from the runaway success of their 2022 debutMemoriala set of lush, elegant post-punk that brought praise from The Fader, the NME, and the Guardianalong with processing the departure of the founding bassist.

WithAll Pleasure, the band re-formed with new bassist Ally Juleen and guitarist/keyboardist Shane Blank. The group convened in a barn in the woods that Mars had transformed into a recording studio, and kept one rule at the forefront: If its not joyful, dont do it. What emerged from that mission is a stunningly gorgeous album, full of big, arcing melodies and a range of kinky stylistic twists that will surprise listeners who know the group just for Memorials chorus-drenched 80s style psychedelia. Birthday Song gives grungy glam rock with a transcendent hook that underlines Echos lyrical tribute to communal joy. Get Stable transmutes existential panic into sharp-angled punk pop.

The anthemic title track is something like the albums mission statement, paying tribute to the power of joyful creation. Mixed by Matthew Hall and Rich Costey and mastered by Bob Weston,All Pleasurewas recorded as live as possible, capturing the sheer infectious ecstasy that comes from sharing space together and making a divine racket. Put on All Pleasure, tap into the energy that Thus Love is putting out, and you just might find an escape.