The Smith Street Band
More Scared of You Than You Are of Me
Side One Dummy (2017)
There’s something oddly humbling and comforting about listening to the Smith Street Band, it’s like they’re that hometown band you watched put on shows in garages and living rooms growing up. It just feels like you know them—their lyrics are very real and they as people are very much real, which overall creates this very humbling, raw effect to their … Read more
The Smith Street Band
Throw Me in the River
Side One Dummy (2014)
Summarizing The Smith Street Band is a bit difficult. While I want to lump them in with folk-punk, that’s only true in song structure. There’s far too much electric guitar to drop that name on them—and maybe too much to just label it “punk.” Think Against Me! without the shouting. The roots are in a louder version of folk-punk, but … Read more
Timeshares
Already Dead
Side One Dummy (2015)
This isn’t what I expected—there’s way more country punk twang than when I caught a short pre-Fest show from Timeshares last year. On Already Dead, the band takes that familiar Fest beard punk thing and mix it up. Using a core of gruff pop punk, they’ve tuned the guitars more clearly and chosen licks over chord progressions for their bridges, … Read more
Title Fight
Floral Green
Side One Dummy (2012)
Title Fight is an intriguing band. While 2009’s The Last Thing You Forget caused many to pigeonhole them as another band heavily indebted stylistically to an array of bands from the pop-punk/hardcore genres, their 2010 effort, Shed, saw a significant maturation in sound and songwriting capabilities. After two years of solid touring with notable bands like Touchè Amorè, Title Fight … Read more
Worriers
Survival Pop
Side One Dummy (2017)
It seems like Worriers nailed down their sound on day one, when they rose from the ashes of The Measure S.A.. The Lauren Denitzio-fronted group plays a melodic and quirky style of indie-poppish-punk. On Survival Pop, that sound takes a stronger pop turn, with ear-pleasing hooks paired to politically-charged and empowering lyricism. In many ways, this record is a call … Read more
