New misery

Description

The former Smith Westerns singer returns with a first indie pop album full of addictive melodies.After three particularly well-received indie albums between 2009 and 2013, Smith Westerns finally split up in December 2014. Former singer Cullen Omori now surprises everyone by announcing a debut solo album scheduled for next spring. Titled "New Misery," the record was produced by Shane Stoneback (Sleigh Bells, Vampire Weekend, Cults) and mixed by sound engineer Emily Lazar (Sia, Haim, Arcade Fire, Björk). The young man began working on these new tracks at the start of 2014. In a statement, he explains that he wrote his songs after spending long hours listening to Top 40 radio at the hospital where he earns a living by cleaning."I left Smith Westerns at age 25 with no real work experience, I only knew how to play music," says Cullen Omori in the statement accompanying this announcement. "Writing and recording these songs was something cathartic for me. I didn't know where it would lead me, but picking up my guitar and playing these tracks was the only way to find out.""New Misery" picks up the glam-rock vibes of Smith Westerns while adding more pronounced mainstream pop sounds. "I can't sit down and say I'm going to write a song like Sam Smith or Adele. The best I can do is this strange hybrid of what I think a pop song is," he explains."An immediate, punchy song, a chorus to die for." - SOULKITCHEN about the track 'Cinnamon'.