Gross National Happiness
Self-Released, 2019
8/10
Listen to Gross National Happiness
The Brooklyn based pair The Bright Smoke return after a 4 year hiatus from new music, and their artistic and blues influenced indie-rock formula has never sounded better.
“Broken Party” starts the listen with a quick blast of atypical indie-rock with expressive vocals and tense music, and “American Proletariat” follows with an ambient feel amid warm, flourishing grooves.
Near the middle, “Orbit” offers a sultry and emotive tune, where Mia Wilson’s sturdy pipes are especially charming, while “The Lion And” gets bouncy, spacey and buzzes with nods to the early days of alt-rock.
Deeper tracks yield the stylish, hypnotic “Again Again” and the multifaceted “Mauretania”, where precise drumming and a haunting setting punctuate the mood well. The short album exits on “Lower 48”, as experimental moments and breathy vocals from Wilson unfold with cautious skill.
Wilson, who previously played with The French Exit, and Quincy Ledbetter have a dynamic chemistry here, making The Bright Smoke one of the most unique and captivating duos in today’s indie-rock. Their time away certainly didn’t diminish their prowess, as Gross National Happiness is easily their best work to date.
Travels well with: Radiohead- Hail To The Thief; PJ Harvey- To Bring You My Love