In the promotional materials for ‘Mrs. Ladyships and The Cleanerhouse Boys’, The Smashing Times ask the pressing question: “How many times can you really watch ‘Blow Up’ alone in your room?”, before suggesting that their fifth album presents the work of “your new favourite Mod band”. Although, for the unaware, this might conjure thoughts of discovering an underground phenomenon in the mould of Secret Affair, or perhaps The Len Price 3, the Baltimore band is potentially setting the unsuspecting listener up for a fall. Beyond its grand title and fanciful claims, ‘Mrs. Ladyships…’ offers a world of similar sounds to prior Smashing Times long players, in that any 60s influences are offset by some fairly lo-fi production values.

The title cut offers a melodic treat where chiming 60s guitars – presumably the Mod-ish aspect of the work – is joined by wilfully lo-fi drums and harmony vocals that sound so hazy that the track shares more of a love for the Paisley Underground or a legion of forgotten C-86 related bands than any allegiance to Pete Townshend. Even as one of the record’s more accessible pieces, the dominance of lax vocals and usage of no frills recording techniques makes for a wobbly listening experience. One you’ve tuned in, of course, there are some lovely elements here, not least of all a descending guitar riff that occasionally drops between the retro sounding vocals, and a closing chime that leans upon the Beatle-esque. Another standout, ‘Saturn and Janus’ applies a chaotic feel to its guitar work and the semi-atonal chord progressions that collide with a fey vocal never hide a love for Syd Barrett. Between the less tuneful aspects of the track, however, The Smashing Times show an ability to explode into a world of speed driven 60s chords, tempered by a busy, retro indie arrangement that allows for a spirited bass groove to lurk at its centre and for some superb drum work to be shared. As before, the vocals aren’t always the sharpest, but there’s something cool and retro that’s desperate to burst from within the band’s purposely low budget confines, and even though you’re likely to come away having enjoyed the mood of the piece rather than remembering anything akin to an actual song, the listening experience is certainly an enjoyable one.

The album’s highlight, ‘Wednesday, On A Hummingbird’s Wing’, plays like a lost piece of neo-psych. The guitars chime with the presence of a Byrds deep cut (circa ‘Fifth Dimension’) replayed by a slowed down World of Twist, and just as things get predictable, the mid tempo jangle gives way to an interlude where everything gets derailed by a rumble of drums and massive rhythmic stops. There’s a firm ear on a melody here, though, and a brief instrumental break, replete with a shimmering sounds from the guitar, reinforce The Smashing Times’ love of 60s fare. In a change of mood, ‘Can I Have Some Tea?’ supplies another standout. Not due to any real musical weight, but due to the incessantly repeated title phrase leading to an obvious earworm. There’s also a musical shift here. A world of echo and backmasking clings onto a love of psych, but a casually approached rhythm coupled with a male/female vocal where actually being in tune takes a backseat casts the band very much in the style of Kurt Cobain’s heroes The Vaselines, for better or worse. It’s easy to imagine that lovers of those twee pioneers will take an instant liking to this, and also ‘Taste of Honey’ which works the harmony vocals a second time to drive a very 60s inspired number that plays like Television Personalities channelling an old Merseybeat band. Little has been done to cover any duff notes, vocally at least, but the busy rhythm guitar work is enjoyable enough to make the track hold together.

Another number that offers a sizeable retro melody, ‘I Paint The Pictures’ injects a fair bit of speed with a heavy indie rock guitar riff powering the bulk of the track. Listen more carefully, you’ll find something a little more interesting, however, since the bass work continually carves busy melodies beneath a ragged, lo-fi rocker. In terms of the band unleashing a love for the more DIY side of the C-86 scene, this is pretty much perfect in its imperfection, while ‘Rupert Tingle, Button Thief’ revisits an obviously Syd Barrett inspired world, only this time, working with a jangle-pop melody that sounds a little more like one of the‘Barrett’ album’s more focused numbers. Musically, the jaunty rhythms and 60s shimmer creates an easy appeal, but it’s a twee vocal – falling somewhere between Barrett and Robyn Hitchcock – that makes the track really shine. Again, those looking for pop perfection are likely to find this a little too DIY, but it’s one of the catchiest tracks within the Smashing Times canon.

Elsewhere, things are somewhat more challenging, especially when the band venture into a world of experimentation. ‘Good Spring Morning’ shares an unsure vocal sketch over piano chords that appear disjointed, almost as if the listener has been invited to eavesdrop on a brief rehearsal; the whistle-led ‘Chooning Song’ sounds like Donovan’s ‘Mellow Yellow’ played by a band who are several pints down, and ‘Moon Viewing Party’ offers a world of lo-fi vocals that sound as if they’re bleeding through a wall, unable to cling onto anything solid.

The bulk of the songs here are perhaps a little more Television Personalities and Vaselines influenced than before, but when the band’s no frills sound works for them, ‘Mrs. Ladyships…’ has a DIY charm that shows how ideas and songs can sometimes trump a world of studio based trickery. For those unfamiliar with The Smashing Times, though, this album isn’t likely to sustain long term listening enjoyment: in Mod-ish terms, it doesn’t punch as high or as effectively as Guided By Voices’ genre defining ‘Bee Thousand’, for slacker thrills with a huge 60s vibe, British Birds’ ‘In Search of Mr. Rykyn’ does a smarter job, and in lo-fi circles, Television Personalities already have this sort of thing more than sewn up. Those who’ve taken a musical journey with The Smashing Times up until this point, however, will doubtlessly find plenty to love within this album’s lo-fi charms, no matter how ragged the end result.

October 2024