Country : United States Label : Bayonet Genres and styles : Alternative Rock / Shoegaze Year : 2022

Smut – How the Light Felt

· by Brenna Roblin

On their sophomore LP How the Light Felt, the five-piece, Chicago outfit, Smut, delivers an invigorated take on familiar ‘90s sounds. Smut has opened on national tours for Bully, Swirlies, Nothing, and most recently, WAVVES. For their latest project, Smut picks apart a mass of emotions—grief, fear, depression—and uncovers a pulse of hope.

How the Light Felt takes a turn from Smut’s first LP End of Sam-Soon (2017), when heavy riffs and grungier vocals held the band’s sound in a grittier plane. Their latest record highlights Smut’s progression over the past five years, taking more cues from dream pop and embracing bright, electric shoegaze tones reminiscent of Cocteau Twins.

The track, “After Silver Leaves,” encapsulates one of the album’s recurring themes of finding comfort in unkind people. True to the lyrics “Feeling rebellious, feeling gigantic,” the song creates a euphoric blend of guitar riffs, synthesizers, and sparkling vocals. 

“Let Me Hate” takes a moodier tone, indulging in the deepest grief explored on the album. Vocalist Tay Roebuck is candid about the death of her sister, and the intense anger that is relegated only to her dreams. “Unbroken Thought” plays with electric trills similar to old flip phone ringtones. The chorus forms an eerie, desperate call: “Stay awhile, I’ve been so lonely.” Smut never sinks too low, grasping onto a glimmer of optimism, or at the very least, sonic irony. 

Other tracks like “Soft Engine” and “Supersolar” stand out as single-worthy. As the first song on the album, “Soft Engine” breaks into a head-bopping beat, complete with record scratches and droning guitar. Set against punchy drums, “Supersolar” unleashes an effervescent melody that begs for a dance partner.  
How the Light Felt is an album designed for tireless replay. Pairing tragic lyrics with zippy electric tones, Smut spins forgotten ‘90s sounds into new cloth. What carries through all ten tracks is a tingling fervor, like your breath on a frosted car window, nostalgia for dark moments.

Latest 360 Content

Lifeguard – Ripped and Torn

Lifeguard – Ripped and Torn

Brainwasher – At Least It Beats an Actor

Brainwasher – At Least It Beats an Actor

Nicholas Daniel – Complete Works for Oboe by Madeleine Dring

Nicholas Daniel – Complete Works for Oboe by Madeleine Dring

Christine Tassan; Marie-Véronique Bourque – Bruissement boréal

Christine Tassan; Marie-Véronique Bourque – Bruissement boréal

Lanaudière Festival | Metropolitan Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin/Marc-André Hamelin: When Nature Drives the Concert

Lanaudière Festival | Metropolitan Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin/Marc-André Hamelin: When Nature Drives the Concert

Festival de Lanaudière | Sol Gabetta : Queen of the cello meets les Violons du Roy

Festival de Lanaudière | Sol Gabetta : Queen of the cello meets les Violons du Roy

The “rodas de samba” That Never End

The “rodas de samba” That Never End

Friday night at the Dômesicle – All night long with Jump Source

Friday night at the Dômesicle – All night long with Jump Source

Éli Doyon et la Tempête – Attraper le ciel avant qu’il tombe

Éli Doyon et la Tempête – Attraper le ciel avant qu’il tombe

Barbara Hannigan; Katia et Marielle Labèque – Electric Fields

Barbara Hannigan; Katia et Marielle Labèque – Electric Fields

Fire, Fungi, and Family Fun: The ShazamFest XX Experience

Fire, Fungi, and Family Fun: The ShazamFest XX Experience

Festival de Lanaudière | Kent Nagano: The eternal, and always welcome, return

Festival de Lanaudière | Kent Nagano: The eternal, and always welcome, return

Tyler, the Creator – DON’T TAP THE GLASS

Tyler, the Creator – DON’T TAP THE GLASS

Off Piknic with Gorgon City, Dennis Ferrer, Riordan, and Linska

Off Piknic with Gorgon City, Dennis Ferrer, Riordan, and Linska

Jeff Bridges – Slow Magic, 1977-1978

Jeff Bridges – Slow Magic, 1977-1978

Piknic Electronik | DJ Fuckoff Turns Up The Heat for Pep Rally

Piknic Electronik | DJ Fuckoff Turns Up The Heat for Pep Rally

Orford 2025 | Collectif9: folk that innovates and grooves

Orford 2025 | Collectif9: folk that innovates and grooves

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | The next global star of Tuareg blues is born, and it is in Montreal

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | The next global star of Tuareg blues is born, and it is in Montreal

Ruby Creek – Forget Me Not

Ruby Creek – Forget Me Not

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Ross Lee Finney : Landscapes Remembered

Ross Lee Finney : Landscapes Remembered

Lanaudière Festival | The Sparkle of Strauss, Schumann, and Brahms in Joliette

Lanaudière Festival | The Sparkle of Strauss, Schumann, and Brahms in Joliette

Wet Leg – moisturizer

Wet Leg – moisturizer

Sister Ray – Believer

Sister Ray – Believer

Subscribe to our newsletter