Young Drunk was the first Smith Street Band song I heard, on one of the Fest 2013 mixtapes on Bandcamp. The mixtapes had steered me well when we went in 2011 so I was keen to discover some more bands for our next trip. Young Drunk was one of the biggest highlights that time around and I immediately went to their Bandcamp to listen to the rest of the album. The first time I heard Sunshine and Technology was sat at my desk in my very boring, very corporate office job. If ever there was a soundtrack to the exact opposite, this was it.
A good summary of Sunshine and Technology (and, in fact, all Smith Street Band albums) is that it's just good sunny day punk music; uplifting, upbeat and enjoyable. Some of the choruses are so huge it's almost impossible to not sing along (just have a listen to I Can't Feel My Face or Stay Young) and there's an incredible urgency to the vocals which I love. The final trio of Young Drunk, When I Said Us I Meant Them and Don't Mention the War make for one of the strongest album-closers I can think of right now.
I've got a lot of time for this band. I think some of what it comes down to is that they just absolutely nail the whole "being Australian and in your 20's" thing (which is understandable because they are). But because I spent some of my 20's living in Australia I feel a stronger connection to the music; even though that was long before these guys were releasing music, I can imagine being on three-hour drives between cities listening to this album. It's quite a strange feeling to retrospectively soundtrack my time there, but it works. It's hard not to have good memories of Australia (because it was always so sunny) but I've somehow wrapped those memories up with these songs and it's nice.
Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 10
Cost: £6.30 new
Bought: Fest
When: 03/11/13
Colour: Grey marble
Etching: Side A: "The Smith Street Band loves to tour" Side B: "The Smith Street Band Loves Jeff Rosenstock"
mp3s: Download
