Smoking Popes - Stay Down Album Review

Album review of 'Stay Down' by Smoking Popes released through Curb Appeal.

Chicago based pop/punk band Smoking Popes wear the guys behind one of the main tracks on the Clueless soundtrack, it was called Need You Around and it brought the band a certain amount of success off the back of the movie.

Lead singer Josh Caterer does have a similar vocal style to Morrissey but the band sounds more like Social Distortion, it's a peculiar but very listenable combination of crunching guitar rock and croon.

Stay Down is the bands return album after 11 years without recording any material, many people will be very glad to have them back. The musical formula hasn't changed it's very accessible and in parts very anthemic, the same qualities that made people love the band the first time around. Smoking Popes new album should be a certain buy for anyone with a few 'rock' brain cells still left in their head. If Morrissey's new direction was as fun as 'Stay Down' he'd have no problem selling numerous copies.

Rating 9/10

Mike Rea