The Bay Area's Smiles are back with their second 7" and what a blast it is. Superbly-crafted pop is the order of the day here, with echoes of everything from prime Teenage Fanclub to Big Star to the southern power-pop of folks like Dwight Twilley and Tommy Hoehn. "Gone For Good" is 3:33 of pop perfection, with a marvelous melody, heavenly harmonies and a bit of a triumphant guitar solo sneaking in at the end. On the flip side we get another gem in "This Boy," a brief tune that still feels fully-formed, rather in the style of fellow West Bay songsmith Tony Molina. It's developing into quite the scene they have down there, and as long as the results are as thrilling as this single we can't wait to hear what's next. Part of the SLR30 Singles Series.
Slumberland is that friend who you don't see every week, and often forget to call, but when you see them, they buy you a shot of Fernet at the bar & tell you a funny story you forgot about, reminding you why you liked that person in the first place. Failed Flowers is that shot of Fernet, and that story rolled up into a night out at the bar. Punkish jangle pop with clever songwriting and a penchant for recalling every band I've ever heard on Slumberland, yet none that I can finger specifically. brantly