‘…the fiery output of an outfit getting ready to take on the world, with songs packed with energy, heart, and charm…’
Based out of New York, Sound of a Smirk are a four-piece alternative rock band that made their debut all the way back in 2010. The band have attracted attention from publications such as Alternative Press, and have established themselves as a prolific live act across the American north-east. The pandemic unfortunately put a halt on their growing momentum, but that did not stop the band from continuing to work behind close doors, and since reemerging into the world, the band have produced a steady flow of singles and maintained a near continuous live presence.
‘Awaken, Asleep.‘ is not only the fourth record from the band, but their first LP since 2017’s ‘Grow, Apart.‘, making it their first full-length release in a lengthy eight years. Not only that, the album sees the band revisiting the aforementioned collection of singles that were released during that time, re-recording them for this record. The result is surprisingly something that, despite the band’s experience, feels akin in all of the best ways to a debut record, acting perfectly as the sound of a band reintroducing themselves to the world.
What can immediately commended about this record is its tracklisting and flow. What starts out as feeling like a clean-cut pop-punk record gradually morphs into something darker, weightier, and more emotive. The band construct the record in such a way that every track flows into one another, both in a literal sonic sense, and in an emotive and momentum-based sense. It makes for a listening experience that not only embraces the album format, but one that thoroughly rewards listeners for listening from start to finish.
‘Flowergirl‘ is a vibrant pop-punk banger that balances perfectly a cheesy edge and a genuine sense of heart, making it a brilliantly fun listen that will absolutely have you singing along; the ‘Daisy dear’ hook in particular is perfectly executed, and the dual vocals are certain to take you back to the peak of 00’s pop-punk. In contrast, ‘Human, Nature.‘ takes the same linguistic themes of the natural world and growth, and delivers them with a far more muted palette and darker tone. ‘Flowergirl‘ is a celebratory declaration of affection, whilst ‘Human, Nature.‘ is the question of whether you are worth that affection, making for a perfect one-two emotional punch.
‘Transient‘ features rollicking, pounding rhythms from both the percussion and bass, whilst folk-styled lyricism dances across the top of it with a free-spirited exuberance. ‘Marrow‘ strips things back to start with, with little more than impassioned melodies set atop of pensive guitar work, before vaulting into a cinematic and slightly progressive climax that serves as one of the highlights of the record. It is moments such as this where Sound of a Smirk truly shine, showcasing their musical experience and delivering a truly emotive performance.
‘Five Fourteen’ is another brilliant cut, dealing with the unexpected ways in which grief affects us, and the expectation set upon ourselves during the hardest of times. The vocal delivery is particularly powerful, with soaring melodies wrapping themselves around the guilt of feeling as though the grief experienced is never enough, before rounding the track off with a voicemail left from his deceased grandmother. The album is rounded off powerfully with the gripping ‘Oxytocin‘, serving as the admittance that some relationships, romantic, familial, or platonic, simply are not meant to be; love is sometimes not enough to bridge the gap between two individuals.
Unfortunately, a couple of the tracks simply get buried among the highlights. ‘Parasomnia‘ is an interesting opening track, but is let down by mixing that muddies the percussion, whilst ‘Amputee‘ just doesn’t quite feel fully realised; it is clear to see what the band were intending for this track, but these visions do not match what is executed on the record. Furthermore, whilst the pacing of the record is incredibly well done, it is seemingly easy to divine which tracks were made explicitly for this record, and which were re-recorded from old singles, based purely on their composition and tone. Whilst it does not necessarily detract from the overall experience, many of the highlights are from newly released tracks, and one cannot help but wonder what this record would have sounded like with a wholly new body of work.
Thankfully, the flaws do not detract substantially from the whole, and what Sound of a Smirk have produced is a must-listen for emo and pop-punk superfans. ‘Awaken, Asleep.‘ does not sound like a band fifteen years into their career, but the fiery output of an outfit getting ready to take on the world, with songs packed with energy, heart, and charm. Long-term listeners have a bright future to look forwards to, whilst newcomers have an extensive back catalogue ready to dive into; this is the perfect time to discover Sound of a Smirk.
RATING: 74/100 – Good
For Fans Of: Coheed & Cambria, Thrice, Brand New, Charmer, Neck Deep
Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here.
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