If you told me circa 2011 that I would one day enjoy a project by Smith Westerns, I would have rolled my eyes. That's because in 2011, Smith Westerns had just put out their sophomore LP Dye it Blonde, an album I wasn't ( and still aren't) too keen on. Why? Well, to me the songs had catchy melodies and some pretty playful guitar leads, but the album as a whole was seriously lacking in clarity. From the vocals that were ofttimes pushed so far back in the mix as to make them unintelligible, or the rhythm section suffering from being mixed too close together, making them sound muddy. So, you can understand why I was a little hesitant to listen to SW's latest LP Soft Will. That being said, I actually found myself loving almost every track on the album.
It helps that the album starts out with three top notch tracks, the Beatles esq "3am Spiritual" which has a killer chorus, "Idol" with it's infectious melody, and "Glossed" which, as the title implies, is a smooth and dreamy little tune.
The album does hit it's first bump with the track "XXIII." An instrumental track, that while not terrible, just doesn't do very well on repeat listens. But, the LP picks right back up after that, with tracks like "Fool Proof" and "Best Friend." The album also closes with the wonderful "Varsity," which is the perfect summation of what SW were shooting for on Soft Will, delivering an album that sounds clearer, and is more cohesive in terms of lyrical themes.
I'd say that SW have done a 180 in my mind. I've gone from cringing at most of their songs, to bobbing my head and even singing along to most of the tracks on this LP; I love it when a band does that.
8.5/10
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