Image via Ian Laidlaw // 

What a ride…

If your happy place is a good moshpit with screaming punters and soaring beers, you’ve probably made some solid memories you don’t remember to The Smith Street Band; the Melbourne pub-rock outfit bursting onto the scene in the early 2010s with their unique blend of head-banging instrumentals with confessional lyrics that touched upon love, mental health, growth and everything in between.

Their debut album No One Gets Lost Anymore (2011) is really the shooting star that started it all, the body of work helping to differentiate Smith Street from their contemporaries all the while paving their own unique corner in the vast land of the Aussie band scene. The public was hooked, and were fully along for the ride for subsequent releases, albums like Sunshine and Technology, Throw Me In The River, More Scared of You Than You Are of Me and last year’s Don’t Waste Your Anger being released to widespread acclaim and continuing to garner them legions of fans.

It’s been ten years since that first album, and Smith Street has been through it all along the way. Hence, it got us feeling a bit nostalgic, and we decided to revisit No One Gets Lost Anymore in all of its complexity and feeling.

Of course, it’s a total blast from the past, ageing like the richest of wines (or in this case, maybe a good old Pale Ale) Take a deep dive into some of our favourite tracks from it below.

I Ain’t Safe

‘I Aint Safe’ is a quintessential Smith Street Band tune and consequently was the optimal track to open their debut record, the almost-five minute headbanger taking you across valleys of emotions with vivid lyricism and imagery; while showcasing the band’s talents at crafting singalong-ready thumpers. Of course, we were already familiar with Smith Streets talents in this domain with their South East Facing Wall EP which was released a mere two months before, but an album opener is just so much different to an EP opener. There’s so much riding on it; and ‘I Ain’t Safe’ totally lived up to the challenge.

Sigourney Weaver

Named after one of the biggest badasses in all of Hollywood cinema, ‘Sigourney Weaver’ is a rowdy rollercoaster that hits spots you didnt even knew you had. Beginning with a earthy guitar loop before launching into that ravenous verse, Smith Street really give you no chance to catch your breath in the slow burn. I’ve always thought that singer Will really shined on this tune above all others, not just as a vocalist but as a lyricist, the brutally honest lyrics hitting you right in the gut as he sings them with this tangible mix of attitude and vulnerability; a balance he’s always maintained throughout the years.

Get High, See Mice

Smith Street, ever the masters of fucking with our expectations, keep us on our toes in ‘Get High, See Mice.’ Starting with a wonderfully emotive guitar line, the Melbourne outfit letting you believe that they might just take it nice and steady for once. For a solid minute and a half, you’re completely in the clouds, Will and his confessional storytelling guiding you to the next dimension as he digs deep on young love and the acts of affection we display for those special crushes.

But of course, Smith Street Band can turn even the most tender of ballads into the rowdiest of belters, almost showing off as they manage to retain all of the emotion of the first half of the tune within the pounding hook, building with momentous feeling as they transcend heartbreak, hurt and anger, whilst still feeling it all.

The Best Friend I Ever Had

Reminiscing on young love through rose-coloured glasses is a pastime we’ve all engaged in at one time or another, but with The Smith Street Band, it’s always the full picture; all the beautiful highs and soul-crushing lows laid bare for the whole world to see. ‘The Best Friend I Ever Had’ really takes you through the journey of being in love with your closest companion, all the while pushing past the countless obstacles laid in front of you to make it to those special sunsets and moments that make it all worth it.

The imagery is especially transportive in this number, lines like ‘And the girl I loved now more than I ever had/Woke up coming down in the arms of a real man/Surrounded by the overpowering odour of shared house, bleach and a lack of contraband’ helping you walk in the shoes of an adolescent Will Wagner, while gaining a deeper appreciation for the experiences that inspired No One Gets Lots Anymore.

I Hope You Find Your Way Home

Nailing the closer of an album is perhaps an even harder task than the opener, having the task of wrapping up the storyline of the track listing while helping the listener feel some kind of resolution; all the while giving a hint of what’s to come on the next record. ‘I Hope You Find Your Way Home’ manages to fit the brief and then some, the overflow of emotion it’s charged with truly putting into perspective all of the fiery roars, guitar riffs and archaic energy of the complex body of work.

It’s all boiled down to the final lines ‘If i took you in a field of roses darling/I want it rough and with teeth/I hope you find your way home/I hope you never become nice or sweet,’ singer Will Wagner emphasising his desire for his former flame to find happiness while immersing himself in the memories they made together one last time; letting the resulting sadness fully engulf him before ultimately deciding to let it all go and move on.

We bet you’re feeling a bit nostalgic revisiting the album like that. Well, you’re in luck, as the band have recently announced a national tour for this September and October to coincide with the ten year anniversary. No doubt it’ll be a shock for both Smith Street and their fans, being their first tour as a five-piece and their first “regular” run of shows since the release of Don’t Waste Your Anger.

Speaking on the upcoming run of shows, frontman Will Wagner is clearly just as excited, adding “Australia!!!! This is our first big proper tour in what feels like forever! We are so excited to be going all over the country playing rock shows again!! See you all soon!”

You can catch The Smith Street band live in September and October of this year with supports from Melbourne newcomers Money Boys. Cop tickets here and check out the list of dates below.

Thurs Sept 2nd – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast 
Fri Sept 3rd – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane (AA)
Sat Sept 4th – Eleven Dive Bar, Sunshine Coast 
Sat Sept 11th – Kambri, Canberra 
Wed Sept 15th – The Cambridge, Newcastle
Thurs Sept 16th – Entrance League Club, Central Coast 
Fri Sept 17th – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (AA)
Sat Sept 18th – UOW Unibar, Wollongong 
Fri Sept 24th – The Forum, Melbourne 
Sat Oct 2nd – The Gov, Adelaide 
Sun Oct 3rd – The Gov, Adelaide (AA)
Fri Oct 8th – Astor Theatre, Perth (AA)
Sat Oct 9th – Wintersun, Geraldton 
Sat Oct 16th – The Forth Pub, Forth 
Fri Oct 22nd – Palais, Hepburn Springs