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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[...]

Exclusive: Local Onlys – “Cogito Theory”

The Cascos’ frontman/mastermind behind The SSC, Jacob Smolinski, leaked us the new single for his La Salle-influenced, Philadelphia-based project, Local Onlys. The trio released their debut EP late in 2013, but it seems as though the band’s knack for lo-fi indie rock bangers has carried well into 2014. “Cogito Theory,” the first song off the upcoming EP titled MT. WISTER, reminds us a lot of a dorm-based Vampire Weekend, which seems to be a huge influence on Smolinski’s writing style going back to the Cascos days. The new single is about  daydreaming in Philosophy class and snapping back into it completely overwhelmed and under-informed, which Smolinski’s howls and Julie Gutekunst’s “ooo’s and ah’s” backing make the subject matter much more tolerable. Check out “Cogito Theory” below.