Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde: You can't argue with Britpop influenced alterna-rock

Yay for vaguely grungy alterna-rock!

Smith Westerns is a gloriously refreshing garage band from Chicago. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2009 while the boys were still in high school. Of course, this debut never made it to South African shores, but it would be far from surprising if the more mature follow up, Dye it Blonde, does.

Smith Westerns has clearly picked up some experience since high school, offering a tighter, crisper sound with Dye it Blonde than their previous offering. The album is packed with joyful Americana of the college rock persuasion, without the pretension and melancholy that we have come to expect from the genre.

Reminiscent of legendary UK acts such as Supergrass and Suede, Smith Westerns has a surprising (yet delicious) Britpop sound, coupled with excellent guitar riffs and the kind of choons that scream “ROAD TRIP!”

Keep and eye out for Weekend, All Die Young, Smile and Fallen in Love – tracks that tickle all kinds of happy glands and set your neurons firing.

Die it Blonde will be released in the US on 18 January, so it will probably make it here sometime before next Christmas. But I do NOT recommend waiting. Import that sucker on your own dime, download it from iTunes. Do what you have to do, but for the love of Cobain, get hold of it.

Preview the album at http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132715250/first-listen-smith-westerns-dye-it-blonde