Review / 200 Words Or Less
Smoking Popes
Stay Down

Appeal (2008) Sean K.

Smoking Popes – Stay Down cover artwork
Smoking Popes – Stay Down — Appeal, 2008

Can't say that I was too familiar with this band's music. But after seeing them at a recent intimate club show, I walked away convinced. A break-up of many years has done nothing to dull their songwriting chops. This record is brimming with catchy songs right from the first note. "Welcome to Janesville" kicks things off with a power pop punch, and everything after goes full tilt. By the time we get to the last song, the acoustic "First Time," I feel like I need a bottled water to pour over my head. Think if Morrissey fronted The Plimsouls and you may get a sense of what's on tap. Hopefully this release will push them out of the Midwest and into the nation's consciousness. Maybe someone in DC is a closet fan?

7.5 / 10Sean K. • February 11, 2009

Smoking Popes – Stay Down cover artwork
Smoking Popes – Stay Down — Appeal, 2008

Related news

Bouncing Souls Announce More Legs To Tour

Posted in Tours on June 10, 2025

Smoking Popes dates

Posted in Tours on January 4, 2025

Smoking Popes with Lovely Stuff

Posted in Records on November 26, 2024

Recently-posted album reviews

Speed

All My Angels EP
Flatspot Records, Last Ride Records (2025)

If you haven’t hopped on the SPEED train when they broke through, now is the time. The band formed in Sydney and blew past “local band” status the second the world caught up to what Australia already knew. BIPOC-fronted, community-driven, and fueled by the belief that hardcore is supposed to mean something. They went from DIY shows to global festivals … Read more

Anna von Hausswolf

Iconoclasts
Year0001 (2025)

One of the most distinct voices of the current generation, Anna von Hausswolff's sound is wide and far-reaching. From dark ambient atmospherics and organ music fixation, to noise rock momentum and neo-classical arrangements, her music always balances a primordial ritualism and contemporary applications. It is an ongoing process, one that Anna has been refining over the years. In 2018, the … Read more

Radioactivity

Time Won't Bring Me Down
Dirtnap, Wild Honey Records (2025)

"When I've had enough of modern life, I go back to my analog ways." It's a simple quote, yet it captures so much about Radioactivity. It's been 10 years since the band released Silent Kill, and this time around the Jeff Burke-led group shows clear growth and change, while still capturing the same vibe as the previous two records. In … Read more