Smut Dissect New Album Tomorrow Comes Crashing Track by Track: Exclusive

Our recurring feature series Track by Track sees artists guiding readers through each song on their new release. Today, Chicago indie rockers Smut take a deep dive into their excellent new album, Tomorrow Comes Crashing.

Taking too much time away from the studio can be a risk for artists on the rise, especially during a time when the music business encourages excess. However, Smut have only gained more momentum since their last full-length project, and the success of How the Light Felt in 2022 might have something to do with it. More than two years after their sophomore LP, the buzz surrounding the Chicago-based indie outfit from Ohio is greater than ever before.

Back with an expanded lineup with two new members, the group has unleashed 10 new songs on their third studio album, Tomorrow Comes Crashing. Recorded and produced by Momma bassist Aron Kobayashi-Ritch, the album was put together over the course of 10 days at a studio in Brooklyn. For that reason, the project has a live and intentionally unprocessed feel to it, which only adds more credibility to its vulnerable subject matter.

With a raw, sharper edge this time around, Smut have no problem flaunting their confidence and saying what they need to say. Lead single “Syd Sweeney,” for example, is an anthemic rejection of patriarchal standards, with vocalist Tay Roebuck sounding fed up and untouchably cool: “You’re mad that l’m angry, but you’re mad at everything,” she sneers at the chorus’ conclusion.

“There’s a romance to tragic destinies,” Roebuck says about the album’s darker corners. “I love an abysmal power fantasy.” True to the band’s DIY roots, she adds: “I truly think the amount of working-class bands in this country has dwindled, and it’s no longer feasible for people who don’t have a lot of financial support, which is a shame. I think culturally, right now, it’s more important than ever to give voices to people without privilege.”

Stream Tomorrow Comes Crashing below, and read on for Roebuck’s Track by Track breakdown. Grab your physical copy of the album here.