There’s no hiding the mod influence on this six-track CD from a bunch of Sydney veterans. It’s beat pop with a bright disposition that sometimes sounds like Paul Weller on happy pills.“Do You Know What The Smart Folk Know?” is one of those ironic, self-referrential pop songs that you need to be good to get away with. “Quiet Fridays In” is the ace-in-the-hole, pop-rocker. It’s much more restrained than their raucous cover of “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” (it's not here but is a free download on Bandcamp), but lyrically it shares the same postcode.
“I Can Go Places” adds a liberal dose of freakbeat to the mix, stirred and not shaken. A floating vocal and a lashing of backward guitar contrast with a slightly downcast melody. The winsome “One Two Three Step Four” is positively jaunty in comparison.
Mark Scully’s crystal clear production suits the material and waves a flag for his own Studio 57 in southern Sydney, where smart bands (and not just The Smart Folk) are beating a path.
TSF's EP is a promising, sometimes polite, debut that showcases the band’s broad range of material. I, for one, would love to hear the full album when they stretch a bit more. It's on Bandcamp where you can try before you buy at at a tenner it's probably the bargain buy of this year. That's the link, below.
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