Blunt Bangs - Proper Smoker (2021)

Blunt Bangs got together with the explicit objective of crafting explosive, '90s-indebted power pop, using bands like Teenage Fanclub and Superchunk as their sonic touchstones. Formed in 2020, they are a minor-league supergroup of sorts, featuring co-songwriters Reggie Youngblood (Black Kids) and Christian DeRoeck (Woods, Deep State) along with drummer Cash Carter (Tracy Shedd, the Cadets). Based in the indie mecca of Athens, Georgia, they even use Kindercore's vinyl pressing plant, where Carter works by day, as their rehearsal space and clubhouse. Produced by local legend Drew Vandenburg (Toro y Moi, Kishi Bashi, Of Montreal) Proper Smoker is Blunt Bangs' scrappy debut album which more or less achieves the band's objective. Amid overblown, fuzzy riffs and the kind of melodies that feel pleasantly laid-back in spite of their quick tempo, Youngblood and DeRoeck swap songs back and forth, complementing each other's strengths as Carter provides his own frenzied backbeats. For his part, Youngblood's often neurotic vocal delivery gives songs like "Decide" and the moody standout "Odessa" a strong sense of personality. Like his work in Woods, DeRoeck's contributions have a more rugged, vintage rock flair, especially on "Silence Is Golden" and the chugging "Speed Reader," though his sense of pop craft is enhanced in this energized power pop format. No molds are being broken here, but Blunt Bangs do what they do well, turning in a tidy set of appealing indie rock with melody to spare and plenty of noisy charm.