Smut
ABOUT
Smut is the collaborative project of vocalist Tay Roebuck, guitarist Andrew Min, bassist and synthist Bell Cenower, guitarist and synthist Sam Ruschman and drummer Aidan O’Connor. Originally based in Cincinnati, OH, Smut have conquered national tours with Bully, Swirlies, Nothing, and WAVVES since their founding. Now based in Chicago, IL after lineup and genre shifts, the band aligns on an underlying pop mentality. In the winter of 2020 Smut released their tidy 3-song EP ‘Power Fantasy’ on Bayonet Records. Where ‘Power Fantasy’ dips its toe into the experimental, ‘How the Light Felt’ dives head-first into the band’s vast pool of 90s influences–brit-pop, shoegaze, and trip-hop–taking their sound to new heights.
‘How the Light Felt’ is an exercise in coping, an electrifying statement of hope in the thick of resounding loss, and a love letter to the people that keep us going. Following the death of her sister in 2017, Roebuck turned to writing to navigate her labyrinth of grief. Meanwhile her bandmates were composing instrumentation, excavating underutilized 90s guitar tones and drum beats to build out an expansive sonic world for her words to live. The band symbiotically tweaked and tinkered, co-producing this magnetic collection of emotive pop songs.
Smut shines a spotlight on the sounds of the 90s across genres – a record scratch, a spacey synth line, a breakcore beat – while arriving at something new. The invigorating album opener “Soft Engine” finds the band revved up, delivering intoxicating guitar riffs as Roebuck splits open the pages of her diary with a sense of urgency over larger than life drumming. Lead single “After Silver Leaves” basks in paradox, the story of driving someone to the hospital set over a glimmering pop song. “Morningstar” is a pulsating dance track, exploding into a swirling melodic haze. Mixed by Stephen Street (The Cranberries, Blur, The Smiths) “Let Me Hate” sets wet reverb drenched guitars in conversation, creating a misty landscape to reflect on recurring dreams. Title track “How the Light Felt” while steeped in melancholy, is carried up by delicate acoustic strumming and atmospheric synth, aiming to find “comfort in the things we can’t control.” It’s a deeply personal record by real people – a reminder that no one is truly alone.
With their powers combined, Smut meld the songwriting sensibilities of Oasis with the vocal delivery of the Cocteau Twins – the percussive grooves of Gorillaz with the sensuality of Massive Attack. An electric current of hope led by Min’s jangling guitars and Rushman’s soaring synth lines runs throughout the record and serves as a guiding light. Cenower’s fluid, harmonic bass lines are the through-line between dynamic tracks. The album perfects a balance of nostalgic guitar tones, heartfelt vocals, inviting sonic production, and rigorous honesty that transforms pain into bittersweet catharsis.
Smut is the collaborative project of vocalist Tay Roebuck, guitarist Andrew Min, bassist and synthist Bell Cenower, guitarist and synthist Sam Ruschman and drummer Aidan O’Connor. Originally based in Cincinnati, OH, Smut have conquered national tours with Bully, Swirlies, Nothing, and WAVVES since their founding. Now based in Chicago, IL after lineup and genre shifts, the band aligns on an underlying pop mentality. In the winter of 2020 Smut released their tidy 3-song EP ‘Power Fantasy’ on Bayonet Records. Where ‘Power Fantasy’ dips its toe into the experimental, ‘How the Light Felt’ dives head-first into the band’s vast pool of 90s influences–brit-pop, shoegaze, and trip-hop–taking their sound to new heights.
‘How the Light Felt’ is an exercise in coping, an electrifying statement of hope in the thick of resounding loss, and a love letter to the people that keep us going. Following the death of her sister in 2017, Roebuck turned to writing to navigate her labyrinth of grief. Meanwhile her bandmates were composing instrumentation, excavating underutilized 90s guitar tones and drum beats to build out an expansive sonic world for her words to live. The band symbiotically tweaked and tinkered, co-producing this magnetic collection of emotive pop songs.
Smut shines a spotlight on the sounds of the 90s across genres – a record scratch, a spacey synth line, a breakcore beat – while arriving at something new. The invigorating album opener “Soft Engine” finds the band revved up, delivering intoxicating guitar riffs as Roebuck splits open the pages of her diary with a sense of urgency over larger than life drumming. Lead single “After Silver Leaves” basks in paradox, the story of driving someone to the hospital set over a glimmering pop song. “Morningstar” is a pulsating dance track, exploding into a swirling melodic haze. Mixed by Stephen Street (The Cranberries, Blur, The Smiths) “Let Me Hate” sets wet reverb drenched guitars in conversation, creating a misty landscape to reflect on recurring dreams. Title track “How the Light Felt” while steeped in melancholy, is carried up by delicate acoustic strumming and atmospheric synth, aiming to find “comfort in the things we can’t control.” It’s a deeply personal record by real people – a reminder that no one is truly alone.
With their powers combined, Smut meld the songwriting sensibilities of Oasis with the vocal delivery of the Cocteau Twins – the percussive grooves of Gorillaz with the sensuality of Massive Attack. An electric current of hope led by Min’s jangling guitars and Rushman’s soaring synth lines runs throughout the record and serves as a guiding light. Cenower’s fluid, harmonic bass lines are the through-line between dynamic tracks. The album perfects a balance of nostalgic guitar tones, heartfelt vocals, inviting sonic production, and rigorous honesty that transforms pain into bittersweet catharsis.
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