Smoke Ring Days’ reissue of their 2013 album, The Road to Reinvent, feels like unearthing a forgotten gem from the golden age of rock, classic, yet pulsing with contemporary energy.
Rick Eppedio and Cindy Keyser-Posner first turned heads and ears as Barbarian Lovers with their synthy electro-folk charm before evolving into their grittier, more politically charged present incarnation.
Their sound—a mix of Velvet Underground melancholy, Patti Smith fire, and Peter Gabriel’s intricate world rhythms.
On The Road to Reinvent, ‘Home (Big Bertha)’ immediately wraps listeners in a deceptively velvety alt-Americana embrace, even as its warped guitar strums and hypnotic rhythm section create an intoxicating slow burn.
The transition to ‘Fly’ provides pure tonal contrast – this buoyant, choir-backed number channels ABBA’s pop brilliance through a spiritual country-rock filter, accented by drum work that almost compels your body to move.
For those craving something heavier, ‘Out of This Place’ delivers grunge-infused catharsis with raw, pleading vocals that recall the best of alternative sound.
The duo go on to shine on standout tracks like the hypnotic, Fleetwood Mac flavoured ‘Prisoner,’ countryish harmonica-laced ‘My Everything,’ and tender, poignant ‘Til We Walk in the Sun.’
Then, effortlessly shifting gears, the band proffers a joyous groove with ‘Here By My Side’ prior to pivoting to the witchy allure of ‘Rabbit Hole,’ showcasing their range from alt-Americana, to country-tinged classic rock, to psychedelic ragers.
‘Modern World Blues’ takes listeners on a trippy call-and-response journey featuring killer guitar solos and epic keyboard work that would make Ray Manzarek proud.
Then comes the Springsteen-meets-Kate-Bush working class etherealness of ‘Triangle Shirtwaste Factory,’ a tragic narrative, gently couched in traditional European instrumentation.
The psychedelic ‘A Place Called Sin’ wraps the album, transporting listeners to a smoky underground club circa the 1960s, all swirling synths and hypnotic grooves.
Smoke Ring Days spins hardscrabble poetry into rock ‘n’ roll rebellion, as their music – forged from humble roots and hard-knock truths – howls with the grit of the unheard but always finds the light.
Whether you’re a classic rock devotee or a modern psychedelia enthusiast, this collection offers multiple musical means with which to fall in love with its carefully crafted world.
The Road to Reinvent isn’t just an album–it’s a genuine invitation to a gritty, compelling world worth revisiting again and again.
What are you waiting for? Listen to it below.
