THE SMARTHEARTS - Not Forgotten 12" EP
Contributed by Aaron Meyer
During my first year as a public school teacher I have faced many headaches: the bureaucracy and over arching shadow of Chicago Public Schools, my students asking me if I am in high school or if I am 80, writing IEPs. HOWEVER, as I sit on my bus to teach another day to middle schoolers I continue to listen over-and-over to the most recent Power Pop masterpiece by Philly rockers THE SMARTHEARTS.
I saw them in 2019 in Milwaukee & Chicago and was mesmerized by their riffs, inspiring lyrics, and overall tightness they displayed as a band. Fast Forward to 2025 they're back with a new EP and it's a killer! From their opening song "One-on-One" to the organ manner of "If You Were Mine," THE SMARTHEARTS songs' each land a an amazing musical punch to your ears. The biggest song of the album though is "Not Forgotten." Not only does this song get me through an average school day, but it is the song that we need in a time of ever-growing fascism in our world and genocide in Palestine. This album has it all and is the thing that will lift your spirits as it has mine.
Listen here: https://thesmarthearts.bandcamp.com/album/not-forgotten
Marty Fedowitz