Album Stream: Smug Brothers – Stuck On Beta

Exclusive album stream available now through release day (June 6th), only on The Fire Note.

From the opening riff to the final fade, Stuck On Beta is lean, raw, and catchy as hell. It’s a record born from busted gear and stubborn persistence. Frontman Kyle Melton and longtime co-conspirator Don Thrasher (Guided By Voices, Swearing at Motorists) laid the foundation in just five sessions, only to realize their trusty 4-track recorder was dying a slow, wobbly death. What followed was a full-on rebuild—guitars re-recorded, vibes kept intact. The result? A crisp, off-kilter rock album that embraces its imperfections.

Look, Stuck On Beta might just be the most fun existential crisis you’ll hear this year. Smug Brothers—Dayton-by-way-of-Columbus veterans of the lo-fi, indie pop underground—have done it again with a record full of wiry guitars, sticky hooks, and the kind of charm you can’t fake. And lucky for you, we’ve got the full album stream right here at The Fire Note ahead of its Friday release. Crank it now. Live better.

“Stuck On Beta picks up where last summer’s Another Bar Behind the Night EP left off–the material on both was recorded during the same sessions. However, Stuck On Beta takes off in new directions from where the EP left off and ventures out into new Smug territories. While you’ll find a lot of our sonic hallmarks still in place, new sounds abound throughout the album–lots of firsts of instrumentation on this one. Take it for a ride!”
-Kyle Melton

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