Believe Me is the fourth LP from Burlington, Vermont's The Smittens.
It is released on Fika Recordings on the 23rd of July 2012 on clear 12" vinyl (limited to 500) complete with a digital download code, a recipe for cider glazed donuts and a bag of roibos tea. It is also available as a stand alone digital download.
It has been four years, and The Smittens are finally ready to share some of the new songs they've been recording! Lately, the Smittens' optimism and sunny disposition seems to be tempered by heavier affairs, taking their songcraft to a new level that may cause those listeners to dig in to a deeper bag of adjectives to find a word more meaningful than the simplistic "cute" tag that often falls on bands sincere enough to actually dare call their band something like The Smittens.
There's something urgent, heartfelt and pure about the way this gang finds meaning and hope in times of recession - like they've become more modern in terms of being honest about the world and how it affects people. Believe Me, The Smittens know things aren't always meant to be easy. Certainly not as effortless as one of their melodies or a clever lines might make it seem. Change is a tricky thing and hard to avoid if you stick around long enough.
On Believe Me, The Smittens are tackling life head-on, addressing grown-up things like the passage of time and uncertainty with an observant, considerate and ultimately hopeful approach. Even as The Smittens are getting serious they still manage to combine clever arrangements with their multi-voiced, addictive melodies, to deliver an empathetic response to the general malaise of the modern era. Their tried and true Gentlefication Audio Recording Process produces sensitive and thoughtful songs that POP somewhere between "pep talk" and "pep rally." That's how they roll. Bravely vulnerable, this gang is a little older and a little wiser and probably still the same amount of nice. Defiantly kind, even. They are a band that is fun to be a fan of. Especially these days. Believe Me.
The Smittens - Burning Streets Of Rome video:
Colin from The Smittens says:
As you may or may not know, The Smittens function as a democracy when it comes to decision making - which most often comes into play for coming up with album titles. And I do feel like we also often end up changing the title after we decide on one and re-voting and making lists and all that fun stuff. Anyhow, I bring this up because at one point I was advocating for Bubblegum Bubblegum Panic Attack (a line from the chorus to Burning Streets Of Rome) to be the new album title - what a great line, Max! Of course, one could also make the case that almost every line of every Smittens song has been floated as an album title at one time or another. For example, "Believe Me" comes out of the song Sometimes People Get Sad and our last album The Coolest Thing About Love took it's title from the song 11:11. Our first album was almost called Bubblevicious!, but then we changed our minds and went with Gentlefication Now! I think A Little Revolution (which David liked from a SplendidZine review) was almost called "Nothing Beats Us Spending Time Together" until it was typoed as "nothing BEATS UP spending time together" and then we felt weird about it. We have a list of more than a hundred and have even used a ranked ballot system to help us whittle it down. Maybe we'll share them sometime. Here are a few samples that never made the cut over the years:
1. Fitness
2. Shake it!
3. R&B(+E) - a code for one of our favorite breakfast meals
4. Flying Lesbian Unicorns
5. Fast Fast Fast For You
Well, we've each had ones that we've loved get vetoed. The amazing thing this time around is that we came to consensus on Believe Me so quickly - once it was suggested, it just seemed to fit the album perfectly. We hope you agree.
The Smittens are currently in Europe in the middle of their tour dates. Having opened the Friday night of the Indietracks festival to widespread acclaim, they're playing further dates in the UK and Scandinavia.
The Smittens July 2012 European tour dates:
(Dates and information subject to change.)
Tue 17th July 2012: Varberg, Sweden - Majas Vid Havet
Wed 18 July 2012, Malmö, Sweden - Moriska Paviljongen
Sat 21st July 2012, Nyköping, Sweden - Queerutopiafestivalen
For the latest tour dates and information, go to:
The Smittens Official Website