Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

Smith Westerns were sort of interesting two years ago. Blogs were talking about them anyway, with unironic enthusiasm for a group of teenagers making some pretty good singles with “aw, shucks” titles like “Boys are Fine,” “Be My Girl” and “My Heart.”

Then, their debut wasn’t worth more than a couple of listens. New release Dye it Blonde gets it right, without actually changing up the band’s game plan. Maybe it’s the sea of concept hip-hop and depressing post-dub that’s been saturating playlists lately, but Dye it Blonde is a breath of fresh air.

This isn’t referring so much to the music itself, but more so to the idea that a group of friends—all 19 or younger at the time of recording—can dole out a pretty solid distillation of the progression of rock and independent music since the ’60s.

“End of the Night” recalls Neil Young’s rollicking guitar licks, as reinterpreted by Blitzen Trapper. The blissed-out chorus of “Smile” could have just as easily been inspired by the Olivia Tremor Control as the Beatles themselves. And on highlight “All Die Young,” the sound is either more R.E.M. or more Band of Horses, but which it’s hard to tell.

Dye it Blonde is derivative, for sure, but Smith Westerns’ aesthetic somehow comes off as more quintessential than quotidian. Exuberance and sincerity win the day here.

The title lyric of “Dye the World” ends the album with a starry-eyed creed, one that’s appropriately grounded and befitting of their simple pleasures. This may not be life-changing music. But it’s more than qualified to soundtrack your years of lustfulness and youth, however many there might be left.