Power Fantasy by smut

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The follow up to the hard-edged 2017 record End of Sam-Soon” Power Fantasy finds Smut in a state of transition, working within and throughout the boundaries of shoegaze, trip-hop, and noise-pop to arrive at something new. Melodic and moody, loud and quiet, Smut are intentional in yielding a droney and percussive pop. Bell Cenower’s biting bass lines creep below the surface as Andrew Min’s & Sam Ruschman’s distorted guitar melodies lift the band to explosive heights. Hovering over her bandmates’ wall of sound, Tay Roebuck’s caustically sung, meditations on grief, guilt, and growing into oneself make us nostalgic for shoegaze bands past.

Coming in at just short of 10 minutes, Smut packs infectious hooks, off-kilter noise, and graceful builds in this immersive EP. Opening track ‘Fan Age’ begins in a dreamscape of guitar chords as Roebuck sings of climbing the backs of giants. About a minute and a half in, Smut has their feet firmly planted as ‘Fan Age’ transforms into an infectious, self-assured anthem-- “I don’t feel bad, I hold no guilt.” The EP’s title track finds Roebuck assuming the role of the underdog, hyping herself up to save the world, only to realize that no one person can save everyone. The band’s trip-hop influences show their teeth in the slow building, strong closer, ‘Perfect Dark’, inspired by the N64 game of the same name. Power Fantasy demonstrates a new direction for the indie outfit, one characterized by continued self-reflection and sonic renewal.

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