Album Review: By Surprise - Mountain Smashers

Over in Boston, Massachusetts, Topshelf Records are quietly (or loudly, depending on perspective) putting out quality release after release, records that remind people why they like music in the first place.

‘Mountain Smashers’ is one such album. The first full-length from New Jersey band By Surprise, it’s the sound of shy bookish-types given guitars and told to raid indie record stores for obscure inspiration.

What the band have created is charming to a fault. The wry irony of the opening lyrics to first track ‘Books By Thoreau;’ “Get a job, find a wife, start your career” sets the tone for the rest of the record. Not for them overly earnest numbers about the girls who have ignored them or down-tuned head-bangers about taking over the world. Their view of life is winningly askew, endearingly realist. and quite often a little weird. Where else could you hear the lyrics “Artichokes with lettuce, corn on the cob with roses” injected with such winning irreverence except in the song ‘Mostly Harmless.’

Musically it’s the sunny bastard child of punk and alt-rock brought up on a diet of wistful US indie. In other words, it’s hard to pigeonhole in the way that is happily par-for-the-course in a Topshelf release. The songs are skilfully arranged but executed in a knowingly haphazard manner that personifies the band; fuzzily overdriven guitars intertwine organically in songs such as ‘Realometer’ but give way to more delicate clean tones on other tunes like the delicate ‘Fountain Smashers’. The vocals are not always in tune but there is a charming raggedness to them that is never anything but honest. There are great hooks in there too, but the melodies seldom resolve as expected which only adds to the interest.

In a world where autotune and production so sharp you could cut yourself on it is are most prevalent, this raggedness is likely to put many off. It’s their loss. For those people, however, who prize sincerity and individuality most highly above all then Mountain Smashers will likely be a source of great pleasure.

4/5

'Mountain Smashers' by By Surprise is out now on Topshelf Records.

Official Website
By Surprise on Bandcamp and Facebook

Nick Worpole