Album Reviews :: Totally Slow and Secret Smoker

Written by: Andrea Janov, CC2K Music Editor

Totally Slow :: Wasted Days :: Self Aware Records

Totally Slow’s Wasted Days is 90s depressed indie pop mixed with early punk snottyness. Each track has an undeniable amount of hooks while always being filtered through a steady dose of distortion. Through out all these tracks there is a gritty energy that makes it feel contemporary to the pre grunge punk/alternative/indie hybrid music that was being created before grunge took over the world.

This album totally works as a whole and creates an atmosphere that separates you from your daily surrounding, but the stand out tracks are Acid Rain, This Town, and No Flowers. Acid Rain is a bit indie, a bit distorted, and catchy as hell. You will be singing “My love for you is like acid rain” for hours after you hear this song even once. This Town has a bit of rockabilly buried in the track and some super awesome synchronized clapping that harkens back to those classic Motown tracks. My favorite song hands down is No Flowers, it is super hooky, super gritty, and super distorted. 

Secret Smoker :: Terminal Architecture :: Protagonist Music

Secret Smoker’s Terminal Architecture starts in medias res. IT reminds me of the feeling you get when you walk into a show just after you hear the muffled music through the door. It is a emotional hardcore / screamo record with a great 90s raw under produced vibe. It is full of passion and heart with heart bass lines and rasping strained vocals. While there are some tracks, like Staircase and Tides that Bind are straight forward intense emotional hardcore, and tracks like Bench Drop have these great screaming sections, most of the album is a bit slower and more brooding, yet they never lose their edge. 

Terminal Architecture reminds me of the shows that I grew up going to, so I totally envision their set being killer. Especially in a smaller venue where they can connect with their audience on a visceral level.