Review Summary: Good, but lacking that push to true greatness
I’ve never entirely got Foxing. While I certainly enjoyed ‘The Albatross’ and should probably have heard more of their other material; as a whole I really haven’t become as attached to them as many others. This is a little strange as they reside in a genre surrounded by peers that I enjoy more, such as The World Is A Beautiful Place… and The Appleseed Cast. Thus, when I began listening to Smidley’s (Foxing frontman Conor Murphy’s solo project) self-titled debut I was a little sceptical of what to expect.
My first impression of Smidley is of how accessible it is. Every song is immediate, with at least one catchy hook that sticks in your head; even on the first listen. These are mostly in the form of the vocal performance, which carries a great deal of the emotion found in this project. They almost seem to convey a sense of euphoria mixed alongside a subdued edge of wistful melancholy. In this it’s similar to shoegaze influenced emo artists such as Pity Sex, but a few steps further toward dream pop.
Some of the vocals are truly powerful; as is evident on ‘Fuck This’ for example. This track is my favourite here, for the simple reason that the vocals are so evocative it’s infectious, and impossible to ignore.
Instrumentally the very audible yet clean bass largely determines the tempo here, as it takes up a prominent role in fleshing out the overall sound. This is important as tonally the guitars are fuzzy, but with an encompassing jangle that cuts through the reverb. In many cases this means they don’t take up very much space in the songs and they need the bass to flesh out the sound. Due to this the bass is the driving force for the ensemble here, with the drums taking a back seat. I really enjoyed this arrangement as it lends the songs a laid-back tone that fits with the subdued edge I mentioned above.
Despite this there are aspects of this record I don’t enjoy as much. The weakest point of this record for me are the acoustic tracks. They lack the euphoria found in the other songs, which is the greatest attraction and the reason this album would stick in my head. As I first listened I was disappointed in the transition from the faster tempo and thicker sound to the slower acoustic driven songs. In my mind, I wanted the album to continue to build on the cohesive identity established in previous songs. Thankfully, the introduction of horns is a redeeming quality within the acoustic passages. Where they would have been below average without them, the passages that do feature them are memorable for the unique beauty they create amongst the fuzz that dominates the identity of the remainder of the album.
Fundamentally, I enjoyed the sound created on this album more than what I have heard of Foxing’s work. It is undeniably more immediate in its impact; however it may have less room to grow on repeated listens because of its less complicated nature. I don’t feel I have quite gotten to grips with ‘The Albatross’ despite repeated listens, yet I think my experience of ‘Smidley’ is unlikely to change with further playtime. Drawing from this, I believe ‘Smidley’ is a good album of its kind, but it struggles to reach into true greatness. It doesn’t innovate in any large ways, and among its songs only a couple really hit the mark – namely ‘Fuck This’.
