The Smashing Times - Bloom LP (green vinyl)

The Smashing Times - Bloom LP (Meritorio/Spain)

A kind reminder as to what Bill Roe of Trouble in Mind said about the band for his Turntable Report Takeover that I could not agree more with.

"Blink & you might think this was either from early Eighties London or the current, fertile Bay Area music scene, but Smashing Times hail from Baltimore (by way of Seattle - band members “Zelda/Anais”, “Ole” & “Thee Jasmine Monk” used to play in Shook Ones & Ripped To Shreds among others) & this new single distills all the great things from their previous two cassettes (available on Bandcamp); sharp songwriting, riffs that jangle quite memorably, & beguilingly off-kilter harmonies. Clearly influenced by bands like TVP, Rain Parade, The Times, The Pastels, Tronics etc, but also has hushed ardor of the neu-paisley underground permeating the aforementioned Bay-Area’s current crop of bands like The Umbrellas, Cindy & The Reds, Pinks & Purples as well as the last two decade’s greatest export from The Bay: The Mantles (particularly on the b-side “A Changing Letter”). Definitely a band to look out for.."

They Say:

The Smashing Times, psychedelic twee freakbeat from a Baltimore basement. Instruments played by humans, bare feet touching the ground. Wrinkled button downs, sweaters filled with holes, music audibly and sometimes visibly made by humans. Can you change the strings on your guitar? Maybe, can you buy me dinner? Lock up your Rickenbackers, Thee Jasmine Monk is coming to town, can they stay on your couch?