Renowned for tackling the subject of love from a bittersweet, often dark perspective, The Thermals frontman Hutch Harris took time to explore his happier, poppier side at the beginning of 2011, revealing a solo project under the pseudonym Forbidden Friends. Replacing the distorted, post-punk guitars with mono recorded acoustic exuberance and taking on bass and drum duties himself, Harris recorded debut 7" ‘Tiny Hands/'For You' -- featuring percussion work from The Thermals' Kathy Foster and Westin Glass, as well as Michael Lerner of Telekinesis. Released in March on Kill Rock Stars, the single was described by Harris as being influenced by the sound and feel of Violent Femmes, with his vocals delivered in a more relaxed manner than his fans had perhaps come to expect -- one of the main reasons for making the separation between this and a Thermals project. ~ Daniel Clancy