New album: My Favorite Boxer || Only Hits

What the opposite of AI perfection sounds like, quite appealing

My Favorite Boxer is the DIY indie pop project of La Pine, Oregon’s Johnny Rootbeer aka Sam R. Smith. Nearly a year ago, the restless singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist conquered a corner of my mind (mission accomplished!) with his album Scrimpage—its lo-fi purity nearly made it onto my year-end list, with earworm track Don’t Say This In German as its undeniable centerpiece. What followed was a steady stream of over 30 releases and a multitude of songs that too often felt like first drafts. In that respect, this Only Hits compilation with ten rough-cut gems feels like a necessary distillation. Yes, the recordings crackle and groan, but at the same time they are passionate and sincere (I suspect an intrinsic urge to explore and evolve, fueled by a mix of curiosity and charming naivety), and full of appealing ideas in both words and chords.



Only Hits: The Best Of My Favorite Boxer, written, performed and recorded by Johnny Rootbeer, is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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