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