Album Review/ Alt Rock : Maverick Smith’s ‘We Make Fire, They Make Smoke’

Maverick Smith is an alt rock band, with an eye for fusions and genre blending. The craft class acts, drawing from each other, their shared passion, experiences, energy, and camaraderie. It’s as if the members have this intuitive bond, an intrinsic understanding of where they want to go, the journey that they want to take. It’s fluid. That keen sense of creativity is fresh and full of new ideas, uncommon textures, and innovative design.

Their latest release is ‘We Make Fire, They Make Smoke’. It is a nine-track album that explores scenic country alongside hard rock, punk, folk pop, and classic rock. Each song has its own spirit, a distinct sense of style and a new feel. Connecting with common themes across the album, it becomes a network that builds on what has already been seen. 

The track, ‘Sinking Feeling’ opens the album. It is a soft, sweet and soulful country track. With vocals that are warm enough to melt your heart and sweeping neoclassicals, it keeps you speculating on disconnect in a relationship. It is vulnerable in a way that makes you feel understood in your experience. In ‘Too Smart Too Dumb’, we see a similar instrumental make up. The neoclassical spirit is so expressive, painting scenes with their swashes and swishes, building on vocal moments and narratives. 

With ‘Feel It Back’, we see a harder countenance. A riff heavy, bass booming, and chord complications, the song is hard and deep. It is stormy and full. The vocals are a buoyant presence, seamlessly contrasting and complementing the rest of the soundscape. ‘Imposter Syndrome’ also sports a similar relationship. The vocals however is a little more softer, dilated and warmer; more evocative presence. 

‘Keep Me Up’, ‘Mary Lou’, and ‘Digital Arcade’ all have fast moving soundscapes, a punk streak and a pop punk vocal connection. The riffs are lofty and rich, taking over the  soundscape, driving with the beats, elevating the rhythms and the vocal energy. In Digital Arcade, we see electronic accents infusing color into the pop punk celebration. A scene that is reminiscent of 2000s youth, pleasantly retro. Finally, ‘So What Who Cares’ is a country rock, classic rock, punk, hard rock blend. It is charismatic, retro and easy to love. It is heart warming and a memorable flow that takes you back to artists like Springsteen, Tom Petty and the like. Listen Now! 

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The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music! 

You can listen to ‘We Make Fire, They Make Smoke’ by Maverick Smith here -