Smug Brothers are one of those bands that completely mess with the natural lifecycle of bands. While plenty of groups peak early, burn out fast, then spend the next twenty years surviving on reunion gigs and anniversary represses, Smug Brothers have somehow been dropping some of their strongest material deep into their career. I think we’ve written about at least their last three or four releases already. Truthfully though, before starting this website I was barely aware of them at all. Which makes Gravity Is Just A Way To Fall feel a bit like catching up on homework I should have done years ago.

The compilation pulls together thirteen songs from across the band’s long history, while the CD version goes even bigger with thirty-one tracks. And honestly? It quickly becomes obvious that Smug Brothers were already onto something special way back. Whether it is cuts from Interior Magnets (2009) or the ragged power pop punch of It Was Hard to Be a Team Last Night (2012), this stuff holds up ridiculously well. Turns out the band were peaking early too. We just failed to notice at the time.

Musically, this is everything that has made Smug Brothers such a rewarding band to discover in the first place: jangly guitar pop, sharp hooks, warm lo-fi textures, and melodies that stick immediately without feeling overworked. Kudos to Kyle Melton, who is the band’s primary songwriter, and his support cast (the liner notes names 9 additional musicians of the extende family). Over the decades these ten musicians have kept the thread running through this thing remarkably strong. 

So yes, keep the lifecycle going, Kyle and company! Gravity Is Just A Way To Fall is available through Best Brother and Anyway Records.

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