Labels: self released
Review by: MH
I was going to say that there’s a Rocketship reference in the band name here but the more educated among you will recognise it as a Francoise Sagan novel. The jangly indie pop on show here certainly is of Rocketship’s ilk though so I forgive myself. A Certain Smile comes from Portland, Oregon and according to the blurb has existed in some form (mainly as a solo project) since 2002 although only in full band form since 2015. Anyway, there are echoes of C86, Sarah Records plus more recent stuff like The Hobbes Fanclub to their sound. Everything is bittersweet and melancholy, and there’s a healthy drive and energy to songs like “Morning Sun” and “We Want The World”.