by Kris Handel (@khandel84)
Who Needs Smarts, Anyway? Is the first full length from Australian five-piece Smarts, loaded with short bursts of rollicking and jittery garage punk that comes at you full force. The band let you know what they are about instantly, and steamroll the listeners eardrums with skronking keyboard and sax blurts interspersed with cutting guitar that yields little ground. These songs are filled with a strain of early-mid 80s post-punk type of tension that lays a foundation for the wilder and more avant moments that are generously spread out through the release. Smarts are unrelenting with their fast-paced charge which plays up the clever arrangements and winking couplets that pop up in the all-around impressive song-craft held within these recordings.
“Cling Wrap” is a breakneck paced flailing tune with careening drum work from Jake Robertson while Mitch Campleman’s guitar snakes in and out with well placed little riffs that work there way through the hard charging rhythm. Smarts ferocity is clearly laid out here and mixes a bit of a classic-rock feel with an amphetamine-driven tension that plays itself out in a most pleasing fashion. “Golden Arches” is full of spiky interplay from each respective instrumentalist that lends itself a hectic yet oddly danceable sway. Billy Gardner’s propulsive bass fights to the front of attention while Stella Rennex interjects well timed sax blurts that add a tonal color that is appreciated.
“Don’t Slap the Hand that Feeds You” is a playful sixty second dash with Campleman throwing out wildly flowing leads while Gardner’s attitude and bratty vocals work extremely well with each other. Here Smarts show off their playfulness in as endearing a fashion that would make even the most cynical listener fight back a smirk. “Smart Man” is another clever bit of songwriting that uses Gardener’s clipped and adenoidal vocal as well as bouncing bass work to great affect while Robertson’s drums provide a bit of a stable framework. There is an incessant drive and pounding that is reinforced while the interlocking guitar, keyboard, and sax stab away creating a swerving and chaotic musical palette.
Smarts are very much grounded in a punk model but throw in a bit of their own zany and creative musical flourishes that fit in a way you would never fully expect. This record manages to vary its approaches to keep everything lively and captivating and is a record that will provide a shot of energy in a much better fashion than your favorite energy drink would ever think of. Smarts have managed to pack a heavy punch of tension and release that never weighs itself or the listener down and keeps its audience on its toes with every second. This is an impressive leap forward from an already extraordinarily strong EP from 2018, and the expanded and fuller sound on display here is very welcomed and wholesome.