Milan hearty punk rockers THE SMUDJAS released their debut EP February over 2,5 years ago and it’s finally time to fire on all cylinders and release some more nostalgia infused jams for the ages.
Packed full of confident lo-fi feel, DIY wizardry, and smart emotional manipulation, their new record “What We Have Is Today” is as good as their friends, WILD ANIMALS‘ hit record we premiered last year, so we couldn’t be more excited to give you its first listen!
What We Have Is Today EP is out today via Legno and Adiago830.
This album comes out after three years of Smudjas’ life, three years in which a lot of things happened. We released our first lp, Ivana moved to the Netherlands, Davide joined the band, we did five tours while working and living in different cities and everything was so messy that the idea of having a new album out seemed to be a big issue for us! To be honest, we weren’t sure this would ever happen!
Some songs have been composed in the van, some others have been done the day before recording, we rehearsed in different cities, Ivana came up with most of the solos directly in the studio… And now thinking back we are extremely proud to give birth to “What we have is Today”. The title itself speaks about being happy for what we have and not for what we don’t have. It talks about enjoying all the little things in life, forgetting about the lack of something we don’t even know what it is.”
It’s a mix of songs we composed during two years; there are some older ones like “Silvia” and “M” and some super new ones “Different lines” and “Slow”.
We have memories for each of these tracks: “September” was written during our Spanish tour with WILD ANIMALS in 2015-2016, a bad period for Pam. The drums’ parts where made by Hans from Landverraad who helped and played with us during that tour; “Silvia” is one of those songs we composed during our first tour in summer 2015, and it talks about summer and our friend Silvia, our biggest supporter!
“Till the end of the road” is about helping each other during bad moments in life, and also about how friends can be family. “Dance and revolution”, …well the title speaks for itself. We are so glad about how well all the songs came along together and for how we managed to record them, always at Mobsound Studio in Milano, with our friend Ale.
Photo by Cristina Crippa
One thing we totally love and that is worth spending some words on, is the amazing artwork Agathe Singer did for us and the story of how it all went makes us more and more surprised of the diy power. So, last summer we were looking for an artist who would draw something for our album and Ivana found Agathe’s works on the internet. We decided to write her and ask if she would have liked to work with us. But it was a try, we didn’t even know each other and we weren’t sure if this amazing French illustrator would have liked to collaborate with a small Italian band like us.
She said “yes” at first! And after that we wrote each other tons of mails, messages and we are
really looking forward to meet each other in real life soon. A new friend was made and all this
happened because of music and a diy attitude. Check her work because she is really talented!
So that’s all, our plans are to tour as much as our messy lives make it possible: We will leave in a week for a 10 days tour in the United Kingdom and we’re planning a summer tour in 2018 (maybe in Brazil, maybe in the Usa, maybe again in Europe or maybe all of them!). Because we love touring but also because if we tour we see each other and if we see each other we feel inspired (and able) to write new songs!
Catch THE SMUDJAS live in the UK later this month + at a coouple of additional shows in Europe in December:
Sun, Nov 26 London, Sebright Arms
Mon, Nov 27 Bristol, Exchange with Kiss me Killer
Tue, Nov 28 Cardiff with Caves, Think Pretty
Wed, Nov 29 Nottingham
Thu, Nov 30 Glasgow
Fri, Dec 1 Dundee
Sat, Dec 2 Bradford, Life Over Death Festival vol.2Sat, Dec 16 Armed With a Mind Festival Nuremberg
Sun, Dec 17 tba—–HELP
Thu, Dec 21 RELEASE PARTY, Milano, PianoTerra
Fri, Dec 22 Genova, Utopia with Somewhere SAfe, Lucta, Satanic Youth
Sat, Dec 23 tba
