
Local Onlys Drop Mt. Wister EP
Jacob Smolinski is one busy man. In addition to leading the charming yet now disbanded group, The Cascos, he is involved with numerous bands, side projects and his own independent record label, Lips Records. Unlike his other bands, however, which seem to exist from the sheer fun of playing and recording, Local Onlys stands out as Smolinski’s most serious and polished endeavor into songwriting. Their new EP, Mt. Wister, shows the band at their most mature yet, but luckily still sports their preppy tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. What struck me the most from the EP is the band’s range of different styles, moving comfortably from quiet acoustic ballad (“Komono”) to fast punk rock (“Ode to an RA”) while still maintaining Smolinski’s signature jumpy pop sound. After only a little less than a year since the band’s formation, it is refreshing to note the other members influence on the songs, particularly[...]