.png)
Indiana trio Best Noodles In Town have released their debut EP, Smodge which came out on 1st December 2023. When I gave it a listen myself, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised, because while there whole vibe reminds me of some of the artists and bands who were really influential in shaping my love of music, especially in my late teens. I am talking about the likes of Brand New, Starting Line, Dillinger Escape Plan and maybe even Taking Back Sunday, so if your into those bands, then Best Noodles In Town will fit in to your daily mix quite nicely.
The EP begins with opening track Host, which has a nice steady vibrant beat to draw you where before enticing you with great vocals, and lyrics which just fill your mind, as you resonate with every single verse and without you realising have you humming along to the chorus ‘take a free ride to the next host’. When you find yourself faced with a song which just takes you captive where you feel this special bond, that is a very priceless moment, and I am grateful that Host was able to make me feel that way from just a couple of listens.
After a good strong start the EP then moves onto No Words, and what strikes me about this song is that it is a pretty heartfelt song which just where you can see those feelings flowing but in the sense being in the here and now. The lyrics are what make this song so addictively good, especially lyrics such as ‘I don't have the words, I am just making it up as I go along’. Best Noodles In Town have only just come onto my radar, but I think because listening to their music is so easy to build a dialogue with, I feel like I have known them my whole life.
Track number 3, Seethe is probably by far one of my favourite songs on the record, because in addition to even more brilliant songwriting which is quite powerful and symbolic with words such as ‘your free to dream, I’m not in your way’, when the track has a mixture of clean and unclean vocals, which is a nice touch, and reminds me of the likes of other awesome bands such as Silverstein.It might not seem like much when you are an outsider looking in, but that balance between clean and unclean vocals does provide an extra dose of versatility.
In The Grip is probably the song on the EP, which is the one we can all feel a connection and resonance with, regardless of whether it will be the only Best Noodles In Town song you will hear. With the song opening with lines such as ‘I’ve got splitting headaches from shooting myself all the time in the foot’ it has that perfectly combination of inward and outwardly honesty - outwardly the observations about the world around us, but inward honesty being that extra mile where you are also looking at yourself too. What appeals to me about In The Grip is that it is almost as though I am navigating through an internal monologue.
The penultimate track, At Least, whilst being the shortest, lasting exactly 2 minutes, is also a song which is packed with so much, and is certainly one which packs a punch in terms of you can really get a grasp of all the different strengths of Best Noodles In Town as a talented collective unit. Song writing excellence, vocals that make you want to join in and plenty of rhythm and energy to bring everything together nicely.
How does this EP end? Hold your horses, because all good stories have a cliff hanger, and in this case, this is one of those moments where as a call to action you are going to have to check out the EP for yourself.
Best Noodles In Town, have something so special about them, and I think the sooner you too delve into Smodge you will realise although this may be a debut EP, it is also one that speaks volumes about the trios potential to go far. Available on all major platforms, make sure you don’t miss out, check out Smodge today!
STAY CONNECTED
Article By Thushara S. Chandrasiri
Comments