- A 12-minute EP that still manages to make a big impression.
- Handy's Smacker is a record apparently inspired by chemsex or "chill-outs," a drug-enhanced cross between an afterparty and an orgy for gay men. The four tracks are impressionistic depictions of what goes on at these get-togethers. The music, though, is brief; chemsex sessions can run for days. "Dump," my favourite here, is talk-box funk with synths that squeak like rubber, a sound you'll notice in some form throughout Smacker. There are other nods to sex in the titles, and a poem that mentions a "pretend wife."
Something about Smacker's manic energy recalls the defunct Scottish label Wireblock and, especially, early Rustie. And "Stretch" and "Spit" seem like closely related hybrids of tracks from Rush Hour's Beat Dimensions compilations. The music moves at speed, and each track is a concise, two- to three-minute burst. The outrageously busy synth leads running through most of them are the EP's defining feature, and they're especially mad on "Oink," whose riff sounds like a floor being scrubbed with a balloon. There's no doubt music this hyperactive could wear thin over time, but at a punchy 12 minutes Smacker makes a big impression.
TracklistA1 Oink
A2 Stretch
B1 Spit
B2 Dump