The Smart Shoppers - SHOP AMONG US

One great album could have been a fluke. Two definitely established a trend. But after three great albums, it's irrefutable that you're dealing with a truly great band. Such is the case with Green Bay, Wisconsin's shrewdest consumers, the almighty Smart Shoppers. On SHOP AMONG US, they don't just match the weirdo surf-punk-pop new wave brilliance of their previous output — they outright surpass it! 

The band that invented the musical genre of dorkwave has now fully mastered it, and SHOP AMONG US is an album that will have you thrashing about, singing along, shaking what you've got, and geeking out to your heart's content as you fervently peruse the aisles of your favorite retail outlet. In this economy, it has never been more important to shop smartly. So this is not just the album we want. It's the album we need. Having already committed deeply to song title alliteration on 2023's LEFTOVERS FROM TOMORROW, The Smart Shoppers have gone to the obvious next level: every song title on SHOP AMONG US starts with the letter S. You have to be a really brilliant band to pull off an idea that stupid, and sure enough, The Smart Shoppers make it work to the point where you wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Not only has this band more fully realized its sound over the course of three albums, but it has also upped the quality of its songwriting with every new release. The 16 tracks comprising SHOP AMONG US are the band's catchiest, best-crafted, and (yes) smartest songs to date, weaving together the best parts of old school poppy punk, oddball new wave, nerdy indie rock, and contemporary garage punk in a manner that no other band could even attempt to duplicate. Much credit goes to front man Joey Shops for managing to find that perfect level of dorkiness where any more would be annoying and any less would even more annoying. Meanwhile, Aaron, Norby, and Jash have got the right chops to create this wonderful music that hits the sweet spot where fun and danceable meet genuinely original and wonderfully weird. This is easily one of the best albums of the year. It's streaming now with a vinyl and CD release coming soon!

-L.R.

https://thesmartshoppers.bandcamp.com/album/shop-among-us
https://open.spotify.com/album/5gDISdZViONzzhX5s5pWu0
https://www.facebook.com/SmartShoppersBand/
https://www.instagram.com/smartshoppersband/

The Smart Shoppers - LEFTOVERS FROM TOMORROW

Joey, Norby, Jash, and Aaron — collectively known as The Smart Shoppers  — are back with their second full-length album, LEFTOVERS FROM TOMORROW. Their debut album, DORKWAVE, remains a criminally underrated work of art. I mean, come on: it practically invented a new genre of music! LEFTOVERS FROM TOMORROW carries on in a similar vein. It walks the very fine line separating punk rock and new wave without ever crossing all the way over on either side. It's dorky and catchy and wonderfully weird and super fun and (of course) smart. Yet it's not a mere repeat of its predecessor. On this release, The Smart Shoppers broaden their stylistic palette with a really nifty Cars knock-off ("Party Girl"), a wink and a nod to proper garage rock ("Slacks"), and a satisfying stab at thrashing pop-punk ("Big Love"). And even when the band sticks to familiar terrain, its elevates its previous songwriting on brilliant numbers like "Store" and "Simpin' USA." One could argue that "egg punk, garage punk, diy punk, diy music, diy record label, indie rock, indie, weird, Nerd Rock, - Looking Glass" is perhaps the best use of 47 seconds ever by a non-hardcore band. Joey Shops, as always, is the perfect vocalist for this kind of band  — capable of pulling off the dorky/weird approach in a way that's unique and genuinely not annoying. The band's sense of humor remains compatible with mine, manifesting itself mostly in sharp social commentary and a formidable commitment to song titles starting with the letter "S." I have to love a band that can write a song like "Sex Organisms" that flirts with being absolutely stupid but ends up being anything but. These guys are way better musicians and songwriters than they'd ever let on, and ultimately that's what makes them the Bart Starrs of the egg punk universe. If punky new wave and new wavey punk are your jam and you nonetheless ignored my previous recommendation to purchase DORKWAVE, you have another opportunity to be a smart shopper.

-L.R.

https://thesmartshoppers.bandcamp.com/album/leftovers-from-tomorrow-4
https://www.facebook.com/SmartShoppersBand/
https://www.instagram.com/smartshoppersband/
https://open.spotify.com/album/4TjKvFtAgu7sTDyFomWUaV

Smart Shoppers - DORKWAVE

Here it is: the long-awaited debut album by Green Bay, Wisconsin's Smart Shoppers! When I last checked in with Joey Shops, Aaron Smart, and Jash Thrift nearly two years ago, they had recently released a debut 7" and added local and intergalactic legend Rev. Norb to their lineup. The four-piece Smart Shoppers now make their recorded debut with DORKWAVE -- a 16-track long player that's set to spin at 45 RPM once the records finally come off the presses. And because these guys are such staunch advocates of smart shopping, they've also made the album available on CD for the bargain price of ten bucks. Smart Shoppers continue to cultivate a sound that's the perfect mix of goofy, hyper, and just plain weird. And I mean that as a supreme compliment. As you listen to these songs, you might find yourself wondering what in the world you're listening to. Is it punk rock, or is it new wave? The answer, of course, is yes! 

Because I've already internalized it as a modern classic, "Bevo (Out Of Bounds)" seems like it's been in my life for 42 years instead of just two years. Newer tracks like "Smart Kart", "Subscription", and "Auto Naughts" are of the same caliber. With songs covering a range of topics from strange vehicles to impossible inventions to devout bargain hunting, this is the album that the supermarket robots dance to at night when no one is around. Vinyl should be available in November. Shop smart and get the digital tracks with your pre-order!

-L.R.

https://thesmartshoppers.bandcamp.com/album/dorkwave-2
https://www.facebook.com/SmartShoppersBand/

The Smart Shoppers - self titled

Hey! I've got a debut for you today that I'm totally stoked on! The Smart Shoppers hail from Green Bay, Wisconsin and play exactly the sort of punked-up goofball new wave I've been longing for of late. The Smart Shoppers as they appear on this debut EP include Joe from The Last Sons of Krypton on lead vocals along with Aaron on guitar and Jash on drums. The legendary Rev. Norb recently joined on bass to round out the lineup. The Smart Shoppers, like a lot of bands, started out as just a fun side project. They were never supposed to be a "real" band. But you know how it goes. These guys kept practicing, realized that they actually liked their songs, and went ahead and made a record. And after a couple of years of perfecting their craft in Jash's basement, they finally played their first two shows a couple weekends back...with The Control Freaks! Greg Lowery compared them favorably with The B-52s Wall of Voodoo, and that's definitely on point. They're going for a more aggressive Devo/Minutemen type sound, and that really hits the sweet spot for me. Call it new wavey punk or punky new wave. Either way, it's goofy and fun and catchy and wonderfully weird. I haven't heard a record like this in a long time. It gives me those nostalgic '80s kid tingles but also some nostalgic '90s punk tingles. The band has been prolifically writing new songs since Norb joined, so stay tuned for much more from The Smart Shoppers!

  
-L.R.

https://thesmartshoppers.bandcamp.com/album/smartshoppers-s-t-ep 
https://www.facebook.com/The-Smart-Shoppers-407843116675291/