photo courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

Single Reviews of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones: “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon” and “#1 Most Likely” (Rock Garden Records)

Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones released “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon” last spring. It was the group’s first release for Rock Garden Records, an excellent selection and an outstanding introduction to the band, an eight-piece Boston outfit comprised of Subtle (JoEllen Saunders Yannis, vocals), Serious (Linda Bean Pardee, vocals), Smitt E. Smitty (vocals, drums, harmonica, keyboards, percussion), James Melanson (guitar), “Crazy” Eddie Nowik (guitar), Andrew Padua (bass), Jonathan LaMaster (violin), and John Sestito (drums).

image courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

Now, I’ve been racking my brain to figure out what Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones’ “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon” reminds me of. It’s a kickin’, medium-fast tempo number with a completely fun vibe and clearly enunciated lyrics despite a seemingly somewhat raucous musical backdrop. There’s a timeless, somewhat old-fashioned feel to the music, which is best dubbed simply rock ‘n roll. But it took my probably too long to realize that the underlying musical vibe was very B-52s-ish. I could seriously picture the B-52s performing this. Not exactly, of course. Smitty & The Fezztones have a unique sound all their own, but “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon” will absolutely appeal to fans of that light-hearted, vibey rock music style. Or, of course, rock fans in general. It’s a fun song that I’ve been digging for months now, and it never gets old.

image courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

More recently – just a week ago, in fact, on Valentine’s Day – the band released its new single, “#1 Most Likely,” sporting the very Valentinesy lyrics “You’re #1 most likely to break my heart.” The song sports an old-school mainstream alt-rock feel – I could almost hear Simple Minds singing this song, though not quite with Smitt E. Smitty & the Fezztones’ pizzazz. Still, this song would fit well on a John Hughes movie soundtrack. Sound interesting? Unlike “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon,” which was an immediate favorite, “#1 Most Likely” actually took a few listens to grow on me, but now it’s stuck in my brain. I can’t necessarily explain why; it’s a great tune. See what you think!