Smith Westerns

Last updated
Smith Westerns
Smith Westerns 2011.jpg
Smith Westerns performing at Belly Up Aspen in 2011.
Background information
Origin Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres
Years active2007–2014
Labels
Past membersCullen Omori
Cameron Omori
Max Kakacek
Julien Ehrlich
Hal James
Website www.smithwesternsmusic.com

Smith Westerns were an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, composed of brothers Cullen and Cameron Omori as well as Max Kakacek, Julien Ehrlich and Hal James. [1] Their musical influences included David Bowie, T. Rex [2] and Oasis. [3]

Contents

History

Smith Westerns (2009)

Their self-titled debut album was released on HoZac Records on June 5, 2009. [4] Most of the album was recorded throughout the winter and early spring in Max Kakacek's basement. [1]

Dye It Blonde (2011)

They released a new single, "Weekend", on November 4, 2010, from their album Dye It Blonde , which was released on January 18, 2011. [5]

Soft Will (2013)

The band signed to Mom + Pop Music on March 5, 2013, [6] and released Soft Will on June 25, 2013, following up from their 2011 LP, Dye It Blonde. The first single off the album, "Varsity," was released March 6, 2013. [7] The album has received mostly positive reviews upon release.[ citation needed ]

Later work and breakup

On December 13, 2014, the band announced that they would go on an indefinite hiatus. [8] They later confirmed that they were permanently breaking up. [9]

Since the breakup, Cullen Omori began a solo career, signing to Sub Pop Records, [10] while Max Kakacek, Julien Ehrlich, and touring keyboardist Ziyad Asrar formed the band Whitney. [11]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
US
[12]
US Indie
[13]
US
Alt

[14]
US Rock
[15]
US Heat
[16]
Smith Westerns
Dye It Blonde
  • Release date: January 18, 2011
  • Label: Fat Possum Records
  • Formats: CD, music download, vinyl
1141820291
Soft Will 194
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

YearSingleAlbum
2010"Weekend"Dye It Blonde
2013"Varsity"Soft Will

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shins</span> American indie rock band

The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's current line-up consists of Mercer, alongside Yuuki Matthews, Mark Watrous, Patti King (keyboards), and Jon Sortland (drums). They are based in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blonde Redhead</span> American alternative rock band

Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace that formed in New York City in 1993. The band's earliest albums were noted for their noise rock influences, though their sound evolved by the early 2000s with the releases of Misery is a Butterfly (2004) and 23 (2007), which both incorporated elements of dream pop, shoegaze and other genres. They have released ten regular studio albums and have toured internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death Cab for Cutie</span> American rock band

Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper, Zac Rae, and Jason McGerr (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf Parade</span> Canadian indie rock band

Wolf Parade is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003 in Montreal. The band released three full-length albums before taking a five-year hiatus in 2011. They announced their return in 2016, releasing a self-titled EP in May of that year, and a fourth studio album, Cry Cry Cry, in October 2017. Their fifth studio album, Thin Mind, was released on January 24, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramore</span> American rock band

Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, while York, a high school friend of the original lineup, joined in 2007. The band is signed to Fueled by Ramen, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, both owned by Warner Music Group. Williams was separately signed to Atlantic as she was scouted when she was a teenager, and they were the only label to let her stay in the band instead of going solo, but Atlantic said the rest of the band had to sign to Fueled by Ramen. She is also the only member to appear on all six of Paramore's studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayley Williams</span> American singer (born 1988)

Hayley Nichole Williams is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the rock band Paramore, in which she also plays the keyboards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zac Brown Band</span> American country music band

Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown, Jimmy De Martini, John Driskell Hopkins, Coy Bowles, Chris Fryar (drums), Clay Cook, Matt Mangano, Daniel de los Reyes (percussion), and Caroline Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleigh Bells (band)</span> American band

Sleigh Bells are an American musical duo based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2008 and consisting of vocalist Alexis Krauss and guitarist/producer Derek E. Miller. They became known for their overdriven style of noise pop, which incorporates elements from various genres including pop, hip hop, metal, and punk.

<i>Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix</i> 2009 studio album by Phoenix

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is the fourth studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix. It was released on 25 May 2009 by V2 Records. While the band's previous work enjoyed a moderate underground following, the release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix drew the attention of a more mainstream audience. In the US, Phoenix began a promotional tour including performances on several late night talk shows. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix continued to gain momentum with the increased exposure of the tour. The album received critical acclaim with many publications calling it one of the best albums of 2009. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix earned the band a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards held on 31 January 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neon Indian</span> American band

Neon Indian is an American electronic music band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo, who is also part of the band Ghosthustler and releases solo music under his birth name and the stage name VEGA. The project has been characterized as defining the 2010s music genre chillwave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dum Dum Girls</span> American rock band

Dum Dum Girls was an American rock band, formed in 2008. It began as the bedroom recording project of singer and songwriter Dee Dee. She is currently based in Los Angeles. The name is a double homage to the Vaselines' album Dum Dum and the Iggy Pop song "Dum Dum Boys".

<i>Dye It Blonde</i> 2011 studio album by Smith Westerns

Dye It Blonde is the second studio album by the band Smith Westerns, released on January 18, 2011 on Fat Possum Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cults (band)</span> American indie rock band

Cults is an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2010. The band first came to prominence when they posted a three-song EP, Cults 7", on their Bandcamp page. They are signed to Sony and In the Name Of, a record label that was set up by British singer Lily Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fidlar</span> American punk/garage rock band

Fidlar, stylized as FIDLAR, is an American punk and garage rock band from Los Angeles. The band's name is an acronym for Fuck It Dawg, Life's aRisk, a skate mantra gleaned from singer Zac Carper's former roommates. Originally, FIDLAR went under the name 'Fuck The Clock', as referenced in their song "Cheap Beer". To date, the band have released three studio albums: FIDLAR (2013), Too (2015) and Almost Free (2019). The band are mostly known for short, fast songs that deal with partying and narcotics. In 2013, Pitchfork wrote that the band "don't make music you'll grow old with, and they won't get an "A" for originality, but that's not really the point".

<i>Fidlar</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Fidlar

Fidlar, is the debut studio album by California skate punk band Fidlar, released on January 1, 2013, through Dine Alone Records in Canada; on January 22, 2013, through Mom + Pop Music in the US; and on February 1, 2013, through Wichita Recordings in the UK. The album peaked at No. 5 on Billboard magazine's Top Heatseekers chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julien Baker</span> American rock musician

Julien Rose Baker is an American indie rock singer and guitarist. Her music is noted for its moody quality and confessional lyrical style, as well as frank explorations of topics including Christianity, addiction, mental illness, and human nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney (band)</span> American indie rock band

Whitney is an American band from Chicago, which formed in 2015 and is signed to Secretly Canadian. The band was formed shortly after the breakup of members Max Kakacek and Julien Ehrlich's band Smith Westerns in late 2014. They released their debut album, Light Upon the Lake, in June 2016 and have toured internationally.

<i>Light Upon the Lake</i> 2016 studio album by Whitney

Light Upon the Lake is the debut studio album by American rock band Whitney, released on June 3, 2016, on Secretly Canadian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Really Wish I Hated You</span> 2019 single by Blink-182

"I Really Wish I Hated You" is a song recorded by American rock band Blink-182. The song was released on September 6, 2019 through Columbia Records, as the fifth and final single from the band's eighth studio album Nine. It was released as a single two weeks before the album was released. It was written by bassist Mark Hoppus, drummer Travis Barker, and guitarist Matt Skiba, as well as producers Andrew Watt and John Feldmann, and songwriters Ali Tamposi and Nathan Perez.

References

  1. 1 2 Mehr, Bob (18 June 2009). "Big Kids | Music Column". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  2. "Rising: Smith Westerns". Pitchfork Media. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  3. "Smith Westerns Talk Their New Brit Pop Influenced LP". Pitchfork Media. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  4. "Smith Westerns LP Out Now on HoZac - MySpace-blog | van The Smith Westerns". Blogs.myspace.com. 2009-10-16. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  5. "Pitchfork: The Playlist: Smith Westerns - "Weekend"". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 2010-11-08.
  6. "Smith Westerns Sign to Mom+Pop, Announce New Album, Share First Single | Mom + Pop Music | Independent Record Label". Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
  7. Minsker, Evan (6 March 2013). "Smith Westerns Announce New Album Soft Will, Share New Track "Varsity"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  8. Beauchemin, Molly (13 December 2014). "Smith Westerns Announce Indefinite Hiatus". Pitchfork.com. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  9. "Smith Westerns Confirm Breakup - Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  10. "Smith Westerns' Cullen Omori Details Debut Solo Album New Misery, Shares "Cinnamon" Video - Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  11. "Members of Smith Westerns, Touching Voids form Whitney, share 'No Matter Where You Go'". Diy.mag. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  12. "Smith Westerns Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  13. "Smith Westerns Album & Song Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  14. "Smith Westerns Album & Song Chart History - Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  15. "Smith Westerns Album & Song Chart History - Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  16. "Smith Westerns Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2011.