Much like their better-known neighbors in Guided By Voices, Dayton, Ohio’s Smug Brothers have never made a grand production out of releasing music. Over two decades and at least a dozen LPs, the outfit has been steadily accumulating lo-fi indie-rock ditties loaded with crooked guitar lines and unexpected melodic turns.
That clearing-house approach remains intact on Pinhole To Vortex, out September 18 via Anyway. Songwriter/guitarist Kyle Melton and former GBV drummer Don Thrasher are joined by bassist Kyle Sowash and guitarist Ryan Shaffer for a 15-track collection that meanders between garage rock, psychedelia, power pop and quieter acoustic moments. Melton and Co. amassed more than 25 songs across five sessions, with new ones continuing to turn up even as recording was winding down.
“Extra All The Time” is hyper-concentrated Smug Brothers, piling one tenacious hook atop another. After a few unsuccessful attempts at tracking the song for Pinhole’s 2026 companion piece, Gravity Is Just A Way To Fall, Melton and Thrasher worked through dozens of takes to nail the final version.
“We felt it would be a standout, so I pushed to get it as good as we could with a self-imposed deadline looming, finishing the vocal tracks and mixing after a big chunk of the album was already completed,” says Melton. “Lyrically, it’s a call to arms. We all need a knock in the head every once in a while to shake us out of our complacency. And it’s important we listen to that call, right?”
We’re proud to premiere Smug Brothers’ “Extra All The Time.”
See Smug Brothers live.
—Hobart Rowland
