smut

Uniting crunchy guitar tones and swirling synths, Smut embraces a liminality and experimentation that pushes the boundaries of pop music. The Cincinnati formed four-piece blend melody and moodiness to yield a droney and percussive pop. As of late, their influences are said to have stemmed from shoegaze, '90s hip hop, and trip-hop. Bell Cenower’s biting bass lines creep below the surface as Andrew Min’s and Sam Ruschman’s distorted guitar melodies lift the band to explosive heights. Tay Roebuck’s caustically sung, meditations on grief, guilt, and growing into oneself hover over a wall of sound, making us nostalgic for shoegaze bands past.

Smut have conquered national tours with acts like Nothing, Swirlies, and Bully. Previously working as an actor, Roebuck’s performance is uninhibited, reflective of the stage presence of Blur’s Damon Albarn. During moments of extended instrumental sludge, Roebuck will step off to the side to take in the expansive whirlwind her bandmates have created.

On their Power Fantasy EP (2020), we find Smut in a state of transition. Opening track ‘Fan Age’ begins in a dreamscape of guitar chords as Roebuck sings of climbing the backs of giants. About a minute and a half in, Smut has their feet firmly planted as ‘Fan Age’ transforms into an infectious, self-assured anthem– “I don’t feel bad, I hold no guilt.” The EP’s title track finds Roebuck assuming the role of the underdog, hyping herself up to save the world, only to realize that no one person can save everyone. The band’s trip-hop influences show their teeth in the slow-building, strong closer, ‘Perfect Dark’, inspired by the N64 game of the same name. Power Fantasy demonstrates a new direction for the indie outfit, one characterized by continued self-reflection and sonic renewal.