smallpools Review

The first time I heard a song by smallpools, I was working on my Halloween costume in my basement. I had the radio playing through Spotify, and the song “Million Bucks” came on. I really liked the sound of it, so I added it to the playlist I was working on; two months later I’ve listened to every song they’ve put out on Spotify.

Smallpools is an indie/pop band formed in 2013 with Sean Scanlon as main vocals, Mike Kasherman on guitar, and Beau Kuther on drums. They released their self-titled EP in July of 2013, and the first song on the EP, “Dreaming,” was an immediate success. In December of the same year, they released another EP of “Dreaming” remixes. Smallpools released their first full album, Lovetap!, in 2015. It contains the original four songs from their first EP, along with ten new ones.

Though Lovetap! is marketed as an indie album, the songs are so varied that anyone who listens to it can find one they like. Almost every song on the album is upbeat, and some are heavier into rock than pop - take “What’s That A Picture Of?” for example. Personally, “American Love” is my favorite song on the album. The first 15 seconds sound ethereal, immediately followed by quick percussion and an intricate guitar rift.

If you want a slower song, listen to “(Submarine),” the last song on the album. Its beginning is similar to that of “American Love,” but the pace doesn’t pick up. Laced with mellow guitar, “(Submarine)” sounds like the kind of song you’d listen to if you were having an existential crisis at 3 AM, and all you wanted to do was lay on your bed and stare at your ceiling in the dark. It slowly crescendos, peaks, and then fades out to end the album.

If you take anything from this review, it should be that you should give this band a try. Maybe you’ll fall in love with them like I did, or just like one or two songs, or not like any at all! But if you don’t at least give them a chance, you’re really missing out.

By Caroline Parrish