Grade: 86/100
It might be the tail end of August, but summer is far from over in the music world. Along with many other pop releases this month, Fayetteville, Arkansas band SW/MM/NG has put out its debut album on Old Flame Records.
The album, “Feel Not Bad,” brings surprisingly bright summer pop from the heart of the country. SW/MM/NG’s sound is comparable to other popular alt-rock notables. Lead singer Brian Kupillas’s singing style is very similar to The Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser.
Despite this apparent resemblance, SW/MM/NG maintains individuality with “Feel Not Bad.” The songs pull different punches from the typical surf anthems of summer. Where most insert high-pitched keyboard solos, SW/MM/NG brings in spacy synth touches, which heighten the ambience of youthful wonder.
The album’s best song, “Younger,” displays the band’s skills in hook writing and pop sensibilities. Kupillas’s crooning falsetto calls back to old Coldplay while drawing inspiration from The Beach Boys for the jangly guitar playing and harmonized choruses.
“Slow Den” is the album’s most somber track. The slow, crawling song structure makes it an optimal tune for those lilting, lazy Sundays of summertime. Each song on “Feel Not Bad” has its own element of slothfulness, which reinforces the overall theme of relaxation and taking things easy.
The final track of “Feel Not Bad” is titled “It’s Good To Be,” and it says volumes about SW/MM/NG’s notions about music. The song’s nearly waltzing cadence stirs up an air of joy and reminiscence for times long passed. You become nostalgic, like a new-school “Auld Lang Syne.” The album’s final sounds are not the typical ringing-out of a chord, but instead a sustained, ethereal drift into silence.
As a whole, the album flows smoothly through and through. The tracks move easily from one to the next. This sleekness could be seen as a sign of simplistic songwriting and a lack of creativity for many bands. However, SW/MM/NG makes it work, laying out each track as a complement to the one before. “Feel Not Bad” rings true as a full book of summer fun standards. It seems impossible to not enjoy yourself while listening.