New(ish) Release: Smug Brothers

Picture an incredibly prolific Ohio indie band, countless snippets of skewed lo-fi pop, choice hum-along nuggets interspersed with seemingly effortless toss-offs brief enough to simply warm you up for the next alternate-universe hit waiting around the corner.

Yeah, the Guided By Voices comparisons seem unavoidable. But Smug Brothers are carving out a niche in their own right, a bit of warm, whimsical jangle that's less GbV (or at least more geared towards Tobin Sprout), and perhaps a bit in line with the similarly-prolific UK iteration, Cleaners From Venus.

I belatedly (very, as they've apparently been around for a decade) stumbled across the band, picking up their latest release, In The Book Of Bad Ideas, from fall 2023, and it's quite a treat. (Check it out on Bandcamp.) It's also addictive, and I'm gradually working my way through their densely-packed back-catalog--may have to spring for Bandcamp's offer of their entire discography for 30 bucks.

Here's the jangly, Byrdsy "Let Me Know When It's Yes":

Album lead-off track "89 Lullabye":