If you remember the Smoking Popes, it's probably thanks to their Buzzbin / Clueless soundtrack single "Need You Around." Lead singer Josh Caterer got tagged as punk-rock Morrissey, and while the band continued on, many were left with the impression that the Smoking Popes were something of a novelty. As we dug into this album for the first time, the realization quickly set in that the early Morrissey comparisons were way off base, as both Caterer, along with his brothers Eli and Matt, and drummer Mike Felumlee, are significantly less punk than expected. Sure, you can hear the energetic down strums of Ramones across the record, but instead of 90s pop/punk, the band channels the likes of Wings, The Smithereens, Buddy Holly, Frank Sinatra and more in their quest to write exquisitely arranged pop-rock gems.
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