4 new rock songs from Smirk and they're on a 7"300 copies on Black vinylOur take: This four-song 7” is the latest dispatch from underground punk sensation Smirk, and while their latest full-length Material drifted toward 90s-style slacker indie, these four tracks have a punkier energy that’s more like their excellent 2021 EP. The pop element that makes Smirk’s music so strong is still there, though… in fact, these four tracks make me think of late 70s / early 80s UK punk and DIY, which also applied interesting textures and arrangements to traditional, hooky pop. Who knows how intentional this influence is, but the first riff in “Bored by Everything” makes me think of the Buzzcocks’ “Time’s Up,” though the chorus hook is more straightforwardly sweet than the Buzzcocks’ usual melancholy-tinged melodies. Elsewhere, “Polyrhythmic Ticks” also has another Buzzcocks nod, this time to the famous guitar lead in “Boredom,” while “Replicant” recalls the way Tubeway Army fused robotic rhythms and big melodies, and “On Crack” closes the EP by hanging on a detached sense of cool. It’s all killer no filler, but note that the physical version is an edition of only 300 copies, so scoop it quick if you need the hard copy.
