Smokey Brights - “Flash Your Lights”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…HAIM, Fleetwood Mac, Natalie Prass

Breezy, throwback rock band Smokey Brights have teased some new music coming sometime in 2020, but for now it’s worth revisiting their 2018 EP Different Windows for a taste of their smooth, 70s style grooves. Adding some psych-rock crunch, disco rhythms, and warm synths and guitars to their sound allows Smokey Brights to fill their space with music comforting, mature, and romantic. It’s an accessible and warm sound, timeless and tight, so expect it only to grow as they prep whatever is coming next.

2019 Review: Smokey Brights seem to realize there’s really nothing wrong with 70s era pop/rock, adapting a sound that harkens back to the best of breezy, lush radio waves of fifty years back. Surf rock, disco and alt country tones all resonate across the four tracks of 2018 EP Different Windows. The Seattle duo are consistently warm and instantly engaging, songwriters with a studied touch alongside fully covered production that fills in all the spaces cleanly.