S.M. Wolf “Precious B-Sides”

sfilzen — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 18:06:25 +0000

S.M. Wolf “Precious B-Sides” 2022. Romanus Records, limited edition lathe-cut (clear vinyl). S.M. Wolf is a “fuzzy, psychedelic, power pop family band from Indianapolis,” and this lathe-cut single has two tracks that didn’t quite make the cut for their LP Precious Downtime (2021, Romanus Records) but were too good to not release out to the world. Side A has “Wide Awake” which has a 70’s arena-rock meets dream pop vibe (it works!). Side B is “Flat Water” – it has a liquid quality with some shimmering organ, mellow bass and beachy psychedelic grove. I have Precious Downtime but I don’t think I’ve listened to it since 2021 when it came out – I think it’s time for a re-listen to determine exactly what about these two tunes wasn’t right for the LP.

There’s not much in the way of videos for S.M. Wolf out there, not much of them playing live that I could find from anytime recently (including when they performed at Romanus Fest in 2021) so here’s a video of them playing live from 2019.

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S.M. Wolf “Precious Downtime”

sfilzen — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 17:23:52 +0000

S.M. Wolf “Precious Downtime” 2021. Romanus Records. Limited edition (50 copies) tricolor variant. Until now I was completely unfamiliar with Indianapolis’ S.M. Wolf but since one of my life goals is to have one copy (or more) of every Romanus Records release, I ordered one of these when it was released at the end of August. Precious Downtime is catchy and melodic, buzzy and shimmering indie pop with a dash of psychedelia. It’s S.M. Wolf’s fourth album and, according to one reviewer (who I will trust since I haven’t listened to those other three records), the LP is lighter and more optimistic, which is interesting as the band recorded most of the material during the pandemic (as the record’s title alludes to) and without the benefit of being together as a full band for most of it. My top tracks include the lead track “Good Vibration (not that one..dream No. 1)” (the title makes me laugh), “Heinous Scepter” (the record’s title is part of the chorus and despite the name of the song it’s a really upbeat track), the rocker “Let It Go,” “Bangkok” which is just lovely and accented with some unexpectedly soaring trumpet and the supremely mellow closing tracks “The Sun Dies Too (automatic No. 2)” and “A Brighter Day.”

S.M. Wolf headlined Romanus Fest last month – the fest doubled as their record release party – and I’m super-bummed we missed it; we’ve made it down to Indianapolis for all the past Romanus Fests and I’m hoping we can get there in 2022 – maybe S.M. Wolf will perform at it again – their music is pretty much perfect for a late summer outdoor evening festival.

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S.M. Wolf “Precious B-Sides”

S.M. Wolf “Precious Downtime”