Chicago-based band Smut reveal their love of Oasis and talk about the personal grief that’s inspired their new album.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Smut have dominated national tours with Bully, Swirlies, Nothing, and Wavves. While the band's 2020 EP Power Fantasy dipped a toe into the experimental, How the Light Felt (mastered by Heba Kadry) dove headfirst into their huge pool of 90s inspirations, including brit-pop, shoegaze, and trip-hop, and elevated their sound to exhilarating heights. The extremely personal album serves as a gentle reminder that nobody is truly alone — a powerful declaration of hope in the midst of crushing loss and a love letter to the individuals who keep us going.

Smut are composed of Tay Roebuck (vocals), Andrew Min (guitar), Bell Cenower (bass/synth), Sam Ruschman (guitar/synth), andAidan O’Connor (drums). How The Light Felt, their new album is out November 11th on Bayonet Records.

We caught up with singer Tay Roebuck ahead of the release of their new album and found out what makes the band tick.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from, and something about the music you make? 

We are Smut! Originally our members are from Ohio, Kentucky, New York and New Jersey, but we currently live in Chicago. Our music is a highly collaborative blend of the music we love, most of which is from the 90s.

How did it all start, and how did you guys meet?

It started with Andrew and myself about…7, 8 years ago? We made sort of punk-leaning stuff on Garageband and immediately after naming the band, Sam joined, and we started to really flesh out our sound. We’ve had a few lineups, but Bell joined about five years ago after moving to Ohio, and Aidan is our newest member as of last year. 

We love your new album, How the Light Felt. Can you tell us a bit more about how this album came about?

We were working on the album years ago, starting with the death of my little sister. It wasn’t like she died and we wrote because of it, we were already a formed band trying to write our next album, and then I couldn’t find myself writing or thinking of anything else. About 2/3 was written when we signed with Bayonet, and once we set a time to record the album, it was surprisingly quick how swiftly the whole album came together.

One of our favourite tracks on the album is, ‘Person of Interest.’ Can you tell us about the genesis of this song?

That song is a true story! I wanted to write a love song, which is not my default setting, and I wanted to wrap it into how I miss my hometown, my past, etc. For some reason, it ended up being about my backyard growing up, it had these dense woods we would play in, and there was a little ramp on the trail that kids would jump bikes off of. When I was in high school, the trees were set on fire, and when the firemen put it out, it was revealed that the “ramp” was actually a dead dog that was hogtied in a trash bag and covered in dirt. It was a skeleton basically, so it must’ve been there for a long time. I brought Andrew to Kentucky to see the places I grew up, and I tried to go into the woods and they were actually sectioned off with tape, and there were signs on the trees saying it was under investigation. But I guess that’s my version of a love song, just shared stories and experiences that impacted you.

The album comes out on 11/11/22. Is the number 11 significant to the band?

It was honestly just the date we were given, but it is my momma’s birthday that day which is nice. Happy Birthday, Bobbye Jean!

What’s your songwriting process like?

Usually, it starts with Andrew or Sam bringing a riff to the table. Our process is entirely collaborative. People do not typically write each other’s parts, so everyone will chip away at their own pieces while recommending tweaks to each other. Sometimes there will be a song or band as inspiration but only in mood terms. We try really hard not to accidentally write something that already exists. I come in last with lyrics and vocal melodies — I’ll be writing the whole time but can’t really flesh it out until the skeleton of the song is complete.

What advice would you give anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to you?

My advice would be don’t. Try and make your own new sound. Something you’ve always wanted to hear.

What inspires your music?

Musically? I’d say, going off the last question, when you hear a song or album and something pops out as new and different or something you’ve never considered. It’s always a brain-blast moment of wow — you can do that? And we will try to implement that kind of transition, rhythm, etc. And lyrically, the music inspires the words. Hearing a song come together is like a movie playing in your head. They write themselves if you’re lucky.

Where do you call home right now, and how does it influence your music?

We live in Chicago right now! We moved here after the album was made, so it didn’t have much bearing on that sound, but I will say the people we’ve met here, and the shows we’ve played have sort of renewed our energy and love for music. I think our next go will have a lot more kinetic energy about it to match our new excitement.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why It is important to you.

Oh my god, it’d have to be Definitely Maybe by Oasis. I heard them in 6th grade for the first time, and my parents had an Oasis-themed Christmas that year. We got CDs, DVDs, posters, and guitar pick necklaces. I am wearing that guitar pick in the ‘Unbroken Thought’ music video, and I bring it on every tour. I love their sound — I love Liam’s anger.

What do you hate right now?

So many things — I think anyone else in the band would be better at answering this question because I’m full of rage at most times.

What do you love right now?

I love watching scary movies all the way to Christmas. It feels like I’m running out of them — I watch at least one a day.

What’s the biggest gig you’ve ever played?

I think this last tour with Wavves and BOYO was huge for us, I can’t think of a specific show, but we had generally amazing crowds on that one. High energy, enthusiastic people.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?

One that sticks out this year was Yard Act, who played at Sleeping Village in Chicago. I had only heard one or two songs from them before, but their sound and stage presence was magnetic and exciting. I listen to them all the time now.

Is there a particular place in the world you would love to play a gig one day?

We want to leave the country so bad. For many reasons, but I think Europe would be a great time because we get a LOT of inspiration from over there. 

What comes next in Smut’s story?

Well, we are touring this album and breathing a little bit, but I think all of us are itching to write the next one. Until then, it’ll be shows and hopefully more tours down the road.

What upcoming 2022 music releases are you most excited about?

I’m so into three bands this year. Fontaines D.C. has a gorgeous, haunting, aggressive album with Skinty Fia — top album this year for me. The band Momma, I think, has a similar love for 90s music that we do, and I really like the singer’s voices together. They are so talented. And lastly, the band Pretty Sick just put out an album, and it’s a similar thing where I love the influence they pull from, and I go bananas for a gritty voice like hers. More girls should belt and scream… if not for an audience, for themselves.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Thanks so much for reading the interview! Hope you like the album!