Nearly five months on and The Smiles debut ep is still one of my favourite finds of the year. They create the kind of blissful Beach Boys guitar music that breaks your heart but then makes you happy because you realise you had a heart to break.
They seem to be making a very specific plan to become my favourite band. The next stage of this involves not only releasing a Christmas ep but including a glorious pun in the title. We get a wonderfully breezy take on Jingle Bell Rock punctuated with a fantastic guitar counter melody, a raucously happy version of Feliz Navidad that mutates with every chorus and a closing coda of Silent Night. In between songs are interrupted with skits about the arrival of Santa Claus. It’s an absolute joy.
|
Although the performances aren’t quite as sparklingly tight as their debut, the fact that they can put their stamp on these festive classics is pretty staggering. For a band with only 6 tracks available online, the most glowing praise I can give this ep is that it already absolutely sounds like The Smiles. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Available for free at:
Mary Christmas Baby at Bandcamp
And it’s free! What have you got to lose?...
|
