Lee Smythe – Waste Away With Me

Lee Smythe is the front man of a Los Angeles based indie/folk band that has released its first single titled “Waste Away With Me”. The band consists of four members, including Smythe as lead guitar player and vocalist. “Waste Away With Me” was released August 23^rd and will be followed by another single which is set to come out later this month. Both singles will be featured on Lee Smythe’s debut album, “Of Dreams” which will be available October 4^th.

Although “Waste Away With Me” is definitively a lighthearted, simplistic, and somewhat lo-fi introduction to Smythe’s musical repertoire, its most pleasant qualities originate from the general sense of sincerity and raw honesty which seems to filter through distorted vocals and bright, twangy instrumentation as short lyrical phrases loop playfully through the track’s three minute duration. There might not be anything incredibly dynamic or insightful about “Waste Away With Me” on the surface, but those that appreciate the single from a collective standpoint will interpret the crackly warmth of this indie-folk piece to be loaded with subtle charm and a genuine claim of musical identity. Basically, this single has a great aesthetic to it, and if the rest of the album sounds this unique and sincere, it is reasonable to say Smythe and his band have separated themselves from the masses of other indie-folk bands that currently seem to be enjoying increasingly more mainstream popularity. “Waste Away With Me” could be described as being similar to a stripped down, Jason Mraz-esq acoustical piece, but with someone like Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys on lead vocals; there is just a hint of rawness and creative usage of lo-fidelity production that suggests Smythe’s music has a bit of an edge to it. The single isn’t really “pop”, but it’s not rock, either. It’s unique, sincere, and playful; maybe “indie-folk with an edge”.

The best qualities in this single come from its general aesthetic as opposed to any one of its components; the instrumentation in nothing incredibly special or innovative, Smythe’s vocals are certainly good, but not great, and while the lyrics compliment the playful nature of the piece through a sense of edgy rawness and charm, they aren’t particularly indicative of fantastic songwriting skills. Smythe has demonstrated in this single that he can definitely write and perform a song and make it sound great as a complete package, but it is still to be determined if Smythe’s musicianship matches his skills as a performer.

This is a very good introduction to Smythe’s music; “Waste Away With Me” is fun, charming, sincere, and demonstrates genuine musical uniqueness. It might not be the greatest single from the standpoint of musicianship, but it is a fantastic single in terms of showmanship and performance. The final product certainly exceeds any of its components which, in terms of a band (four person) effort, is probably how it should be.

Artist: Lee Smythe

Single Title: Waste Away With Me

Label: Independent

Website: http://leesmythe.com/

Genre: Indie/Alternative/Folk

Sounds Like: Jason Mraz with an edge

Technical Grade: 7/10

Production/Musicianship Grade: 7/10

Commercial Value: 7/10

Overall Talent Level: 7/10

Songwriting Skills: 7/10

Performance Skills: 7/10

Strengths: General aesthetic of the song is original and creative

Weaknesses: Rough around the edges in terms of production, songwriting isn’t particularly fantastic

7/10 Stars

Owen Matheson