Smoking Popes
From their early indie releases to critically acclaimed major label albums, Smoking Popes have developed a unique blend of buzzsaw guitars, caffeinated rhythms and heartfelt crooning vocals, combining the angst of punk with the smooth sophistication of Frank Sinatra, creating music both urgent and timeless, and influencing a generation of musicians in their wake. The Los Angeles Times said, “Ever wonder what a traditional lounge singer would sound like backed up by a punk band? The Smoking Popes take that concept one step further: They’ve created a unique kind of music that some listeners are describing as ‘hyperkinetic tear-jerkers’.”
Smoking Popes began in 1991in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, infusing romantic melancholy and angst-ridden introspection into a truly midwestern style of pop-punk. Since then, they have grown into the very definition of a cult classic band, touring with such bands as Descendents, Dinosaur Jr, Jawbreaker and Jimmy Eat World. Throughout the 90’s and 2000’s, they released a series of studio albums, landing their songs in movies like Cluelessand Tommy Boy, all the while maintaining the edgy and earnest sound that helped earn them their status as emo pioneers.
The band's new album Lovely Stuff is their first since 2018's Into The Agony and will be released in April 2025 by the Anxious & Angry label, available on 12” LP vinyl, digital download and streaming platforms. This new self-produced album was recorded at Bombsight Studio, Bloomington IL and Million Yen Studio, Chicago IL with David Rossi and Andy Gerber engineering.
“It took us about two years to make this record,” says lead singer and songwriter Josh Caterer. “We went into the studio with just two songs in the summer of 2022, then I kept writing and we'd go back every few months and record another couple songs. It was a long process because we were doing it all piecemeal, but I think the final product has a cohesive energy. The songs all feel connected.” Two tracks from the album, “Madison” and “Golden Moment,” have already been released as singles and two more are on the way, “Racine” in February and “Fox River Dream” in March. These two tracks are preceded in January by a non-album single called “Allegiance,” an incendiary protest song with guest vocals from Scott Lucas of Local H.
The title Lovely Stuff was inspired by the band’s recent tour of the UK. “We played a small club in Northwich called the Salty Dog,” Caterer explains, “and at one point the audience started chanting, ‘Lovely stuff! Lovely stuff!’ It was really a beautiful moment and so ridiculously British. I mean, where else in the world would an audience chant that?” The title also signals a departure from the band’s notoriously negative album titles, such as Born to Quit, Destination Failure, and Into the Agony. “Calling this album Lovely Stuff felt right because it says something about where our heads are at right now. I wouldn’t exactly say we’re optimistic, but we’re at least determined to keep moving forward, to keep finding what is lovely in an unlovely world.”