S.M. & the Ease of Hatred

Got this cool little tape from S.M. just awhile back and was a bit surprised to learn that it’s not some hardcore/punk ripper drowned in the lovely aesthetics of the cassette. In fact, this five song EP from the London, Ontario duo is a pleasant stroll into pop hook laden indie-rock coupled with a nice subtle touch of shoegaze-like fuzz here and there. Took a couple listens to fully get into, simply I think because I was caught a bit off guard. I have no idea why I expect some aural assault on the ears every time a cassette comes floating into the mailbox. But a tape like Ease the Hatred is certainly helping to break me free of that mindset with some rock solid tunes. The high points here seem to be “Cure Song” and “Swarth”, both which seem to display a near perfect balance between the crunchy sounds of throwback indie-pop and blasts of fuzzy warmth. The other tracks to be found here aren’t too shabby either, which makes this EP a pretty nice debut for these fellas. Obviously some time and care was taken to assemble this tape as well, as the packaging is fairly elaborate and probably took awhile to do. Digging this more and more.

S.M. - Cure Song [MP3] - Build on a Weak Spot

Got this cool little tape from S.M. just awhile back and was a bit surprised to learn that it’s not some hardcore/punk ripper drowned in the lovely aesthetics of the cassette. In fact, this five song EP from the London, Ontario duo is a pleasant stroll into pop hook laden indie-rock coupled with a nice subtle touch of shoegaze-like fuzz here and there. Took a couple listens to fully get into, simply I think because I was caught a bit off guard. I have no idea why I expect some aural assault on the ears every time a cassette comes floating into the mailbox. But a tape like Ease the Hatred is certainly helping to break me free of that mindset with some rock solid tunes. The high points here seem to be “Cure Song” and “Swarth”, both which seem to display a near perfect balance between the crunchy sounds of throwback indie-pop and blasts of fuzzy warmth. The other tracks to be found here aren’t too shabby either, which makes this EP a pretty nice debut for these fellas. Obviously some time and care was taken to assemble this tape as well, as the packaging is fairly elaborate and probably took awhile to do. Digging this more and more.

S.M. - Cure Song [MP3] - Build on a Weak Spot

5PM - S.M.
Are you feeling the S.M. buzz yet? Judging by the love these guys get from their live audiences, and high level interest online, this duo is certainly on the rise. We know very little about these guys, but what we do know is... their record is fab-o-los, and is set to hit the shelves soon. Next week the boys travel to Montreal for a big release show and we're excited to have them warming up at the Grill. We hear influences like the Pixies, the SST catalog and Twin Peaks (literally, that's indeed the Log Lady at the close of 'Cure Song') and we're ready to be rocked. Catch them here on Saturday and tell your friends you knew them when they were just a local band on the rise.
- Hot Dog Musique & Cinema // London Fuse

5PM - S.M.
Are you feeling the S.M. buzz yet? Judging by the love these guys get from their live audiences, and high level interest online, this duo is certainly on the rise. We know very little about these guys, but what we do know is... their record is fab-o-los, and is set to hit the shelves soon. Next week the boys travel to Montreal for a big release show and we're excited to have them warming up at the Grill. We hear influences like the Pixies, the SST catalog and Twin Peaks (literally, that's indeed the Log Lady at the close of 'Cure Song') and we're ready to be rocked. Catch them here on Saturday and tell your friends you knew them when they were just a local band on the rise.
- Hot Dog Musique & Cinema // London Fuse

You know that feeling you get when you listen to a band that isn’t widely known? Where you feel like you’re in on a secret before anyone else gets to it? Those bands make listening to music interesting again. For me, S.M. (or S.M. and The Ease of Hatred) is one of those bands. I’ve got to see them play a couple times now, and it’s always nothing short of a treat.

S.M. are a duo of transplants from Sarnia’s “Chemical Valley” living in London, Ontario. They have a driving, at times anthemic, charmingly poppy sound. Their song writing takes cues from shoegaze and punk/hardcore creating a sonic juxtaposition of those genres and a half-dozen others in between. S.M. are the kind of band whose songs have you racking your brain, trying to figure out which parts remind you of what bands and genres. Their songs transition across genres, defying classification, but all while having an overtone of the brighter and warmer side of 90s alt-rock, even in the more solemn songs. It’s hard to nail down a specific musical comparison for them though, so it’s best you listen to them for yourself and figure out what their songs remind you of. There are murmurs of an upcoming tape release on Blank Stare Records out of Toronto, but nothing as of yet is concrete. There isn’t much to promote with this other than to let you guys in on the secret, and make sure you watch out for this band. - Songs and Cigarettes

You know that feeling you get when you listen to a band that isn’t widely known? Where you feel like you’re in on a secret before anyone else gets to it? Those bands make listening to music interesting again. For me, S.M. (or S.M. and The Ease of Hatred) is one of those bands. I’ve got to see them play a couple times now, and it’s always nothing short of a treat.

S.M. are a duo of transplants from Sarnia’s “Chemical Valley” living in London, Ontario. They have a driving, at times anthemic, charmingly poppy sound. Their song writing takes cues from shoegaze and punk/hardcore creating a sonic juxtaposition of those genres and a half-dozen others in between. S.M. are the kind of band whose songs have you racking your brain, trying to figure out which parts remind you of what bands and genres. Their songs transition across genres, defying classification, but all while having an overtone of the brighter and warmer side of 90s alt-rock, even in the more solemn songs. It’s hard to nail down a specific musical comparison for them though, so it’s best you listen to them for yourself and figure out what their songs remind you of. There are murmurs of an upcoming tape release on Blank Stare Records out of Toronto, but nothing as of yet is concrete. There isn’t much to promote with this other than to let you guys in on the secret, and make sure you watch out for this band. - Songs and Cigarettes