The Smokes have every right to be aggravated.
The Spokane rock duo of guitarist/singer Himes Alexander and drummer Matt Slater has always been on the snarling counterculture edge. Formed in 2014, the group grew over the years on the strength of driving live shows and not-too-subtly titled LPs (Slave, Revolt) featuring hard garage-punk songs about fighting against the powers that be, and eventually becoming one of the best local acts around before uprooting to Minneapolis in June 2017. Aggression was always at the forefront.
So it's not wild to think the past couple years would cause that ever-burning angst to boil over in a full rage. The Smokes had to deal with all the pandemic mental strains we all went through, plus the music industry grinding to a halt because of COVID. If that wasn't enough, they were Black men in Minneapolis during the tense powderkeg that was the aftermath of George Floyd's murder at the hands of a police officer. In the midst of all this chaos, the guys moved back to Spokane in December 2020.
It was a lot to process.
But rather than turning up the musical fury, the Smokes actually used these trying times to get more contemplative. The results can be heard on the band's new album, G.O.V.T. Graffiti, which drops March 25.
"Our mindset while writing the album turned more into a reflection of the experiences we were going through at the time," Slater says. "Whether it be in Minneapolis during the uprising or returning to our hometown, Spokane, to see it as a shell of the place we remembered — keeping in mind that the whole world was a shell of what it used to be. ... We [didn't] know what type of a world it will be released in, whether live shows would be allowed or even what venues would remain open. We really weren't even sure where we would be living by the time it was recorded. Or if it even would get recorded. Because of all these intense changes going on around us, we thought about who we are as a band, what we want to say, and how we want to say it."
"The original name of the album was supposed to be Lighter," Slater continues. "We're basically trying to reverse the perspective or approach of the way that we had been writing, which was a lot more angsty. We wanted to see a more positive side to things, so that's what we set out to do with this album. It's changed a lot along the way, but I think that that aesthetic positivity goal has prevailed."
Recorded in four days with Jack Endino (who produced Nirvana's Bleach) at Soundhouse in Seattle, G.O.V.T Graffiti certainly has a less full-throttle aggro vibe than past Smokes releases. But that's all relative. Don't get it twisted, the Smokes still go hard. Standout tracks include the melodic and catchy acceptance of imperfect mental health that is "Fully" and the introspective "Tact" (the closest the Smokes get to cosmic Hendrix-esque rock). But there are also still songs with fangs-out social commentary ("Go Ahead and Tread On Me"), bouts with feelings of exploitation ("It Was Something In There"), and even a vert fun rocker of nothing but goofy lip sounds and wails ("Mentat"). The new album is certainly the band's most widely accessible collection of songs to date.
Alexander has a special place in his heart for the album-ender "Emerald Glass," because of the way the track authentically captures the spontaneous energy the guys felt in the studio.
"We wrote a lot of it in studio. I was writing lyrics as I was singing them," Alexander says. "It just really validates the procrastinator style. Because it came out, and I love it. It has a little piece of all of our energy on it.
"We've done [spontaneous songs] before...," Alexander starts adding, before Slater interjects, "...But we don't play those songs anymore. [Laughs]"
The album's title actually came after seeing the cover art they commissioned from Cryptic Novelties (Elizabeth Reeves). The Smokes have further upped the art game by having distinct throwback-style cover art for each song on the album, which both is a fun bonus treat for those who buy the album and a distinct move by the guys to distinguish tracks in a digital age when people more and more consume songs removed from album context.
The Smokes celebrate the release of G.O.V.T. Graffiti on Friday, March 25, with a concert at the Big Dipper. There's certainly a sense of comfort for the guys feeling settled and making new music again in Spokane. And even if the new album isn't focused as much on unloading their aggressions, it doesn't mean a Smokes show isn't still the perfect place to unload all your pent-up frustrations to a rocking soundtrack. ♦
The Smokes: G.O.V.T Graffiti Release Show (with Gorilla, Chicken, & Rabbit, Bandit Train, Portable Morla) • Fri, March 25 at 7:30 pm • $12-$15 • All ages • The Big Dipper • 171 S. Washington St. • bigdipperevents.com
