Since forming in 2010, Melbourne group The Smith Street Band has gained a loyal following owing to their consistently energetic live performances.
Now, the four-piece is Melbourne incarnate, with Wil Wagner’s lyrics (and vowel-heavy Australian accent) the focal point of their endearing blend of folk-punk.
This proven formula provides the basis for the superbly-titled Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams EP, released as the group prepares for a number of dates across the country.
The title track begins with Wagner’s familiar drawl before the band shifts into a straight forward rock groove. Wagner sums up the thoughts of twenty-somethings everywhere on the pre-chorus, “Every night’s a Saturday night and every day’s a Monday morning,” before letting out an exasperated, angst-filled yelp: “Don’t fuck with our dreams!”.
Next up, “Ducks Fly Together” (yes, a mighty Ducks reference) melds a quiet, melodic verse to a shouty chorus. Wagner’s impassioned plea, “You could always stay, you could always stay …”, is particularly memorable.
“Bigger Than Us” is another alterna-rock number, with an anthemic chorus and Pixies-style verse-chorus dynamics. “Kids” begins tenderly and with the clever line: “If there’s one thing that I’ve learnt, it’s that not all bad decisions turn out bad,” before shifting into another straight-up rock jam. The obligatory slow(er) closing track, “Self Control”, is a little aimless.
If there’s a flaw here, it’s simply a lack of the vibrancy that characterised last year’s wonderful, Sunshine and Technology.
Written on the road, the songs on Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams will slot nicely into the band’s live repertoire. On record, however, they a little one-dimensional.
Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams is out on Poison City Records.
2.5 stars
Download: “Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams”
File next to: Frank Turner, Against Me!
