Smile Smile
Blue Roses (remastered)
Kirtland Records
Lyrically relatable and musically beautiful through its simplicity, Smile Smile’s Blue Roses captures feelings of shyness, anxiety, love, longing, and heartache with a sweet honesty. This mixture is the album’s overarching theme.
“Anymore” is a sweet upbeat soft pop track characterized by a sorrowful refrain of “you’re not mine anymore.”
“Your Life,” with a strong anti-suicide message is solemn in its verses but transitions into a hopeful chorus. It proves strong instead of merely sweet and is a prime example of the band’s talent for catchy yet conscious songwriting.
“Sad Song” is the album’s best show of the duo’s chemistry, featuring beautiful, perfectly blended, weaving vocal harmonies. “Waving the White Flag” also highlights this vocal chemistry, while even offering a hint of aggression.
Blue Roses is the sort of record that keeps you company, especially when listened to in its entirety. It is best described as a series of open letters (sometimes love letters) set to sweet folk pop.
