I've been a fan of The Smith Street Band ever since they released No One Gets Lots Anymore back in 2011. The folk-punk tunes dripping with angst and thick with Aussie accent were entirely relatable for anyone living the suburban life. Songs about mateship, misspent youth, loves won and lost. It was a debut album that established the band as one of Australia's perennial favourites on the festival circuit. I consumed every album, hot off the press.
Then came Everybody Is Lying To You For Money. What am I listening to? What have they done to their familiar post-punk, fuzz guitar driven songs that provide the perfect bed for Wil Wagner's angst ridden vocals?
What is this electronically modified chant? This almost beat poetry delivery from Wagner over the top of a danceable (not in the moshpit kind of way) drum beat? Have Regurgitator kidnapped the band and taken over creative control? The lyrics seem familiar. Personal. Angsty. Raw. But the music has departed from what was becoming a formula. Do I like it? Fuck no, I love it!
It's so refreshing when a band takes a risk and this risk works in spades for this reviewer. As a fan I could feel betrayed but not in this case. This one is going straight to the playlist.
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