The Healing Power of Smothered in Hugs

By Isaac BERZINS (The Semantic, Volume 1, Issue 1)

Thumping drums, dirty guitar tone, enthusiastic bass, floating keyboard sections, and powerful lead vocals encompass what Smothered in Hugs' new album, The Healing Power of Injury, is all about. Containing thirteen tracks of indie-rock goodness, it features all the live songs we know and love, from Visa Problems, to Young Flare. Smothered in Hugs are making some big steps with their first full-length release.

The CD grabs your attention from the get-go with the strong starting track Blank Test. The sound of a tape reel playing in the background sets up the song as Aaron Crane's familiar drum beats come into play, along with guitar and vocals. The song sets us up for what appears to be quite a ride. Upon listening to the CD with a nicer pair of headphones, I found I appreciated the mixing significantly more than you would if just casually listening to the disc in the car, or at a party. This is a CD that you need to sit down and take in, because there is a lot to take in. Another factor I noticed was Smothered in Hugs' ability to retain the feeling of live energy and emotion on the recordings, which isn't a thing that is easily pulled off. As with any good disc, you can listen to the songs multiple times and find new things, whether it is the distorted bass, or the rhythm guitar hitting notes in staccato, which was the case when I listened to Blank Test while writing this review.As the CD continues, it has the strong crowd favorite songs, but what captured my attention the most was some of the slower songs, such as Chest Protection, and Die Trying. The composition and emotional feel of the song is powerful, and it sucks you in to their world. Die Trying is a good example of this. The way the acoustic and electric guitar entangle within each other is quite astounding, and with Ryan's haunting vocals floating above the mix. The song consistently builds, encompassing you with sounds, all working together in haunting harmony. This track stood out to me especially, and faintly reminded me of Sam Roberts' slower tracks on the album, Chemical City. Speaking of comparisons, in Visa Problems, Ryan Crane's scream is reminiscent of Joe Strummer, best known for his work as the lead singer in The Clash, it is unknown to me if this is intentional or not, but if it is, it's a brilliant and accurate homage.

The album is an excellent disc, with high production qualities, and every song having the right to be listened to. Smothered has proved time and time again live they are something worth seeing, and with this CD, they prove
they are worth buying and listening to time and time again. From start to end, this is must have for all fans of indie music, and local music for that matter. Smothered in Hugs is a band to keep your eye on, because you don't know what they are going to do next. This CD is a definite buy.