The Smittens are a hard-working, globe-trotting independent American twee p… Read Full Bio ↴The Smittens are a hard-working, globe-trotting independent American twee pop band from Burlington, Vermont. The band is friends first and open-hearted indiepop revolutionaries after that. Max Andrucki, Colin Clary, DanaKaplan, Holly Chagnon, and David Zacharis switch up instruments, song-writing, and singing to create catchy, harmony-driven twee ballads, pop anthems, and queer love songs—always brilliantly lyrical, and often brazenly political. Preferring to do it themselves, The Smittens record their own music while David creates the distinctive artwork that graces the band’s fliers and album covers, Dana and Max book the tours, and the whole gang work hard to share their contagious optimism with their fans near and far. Formed on a whim at a party in 2002 the Smittens have emerged as one of the country's best-loved underground indiepop quintets, releasing 3 full-length albums, a remix ep and a handful of singles and compilation appearances. Their 4th studio album, Believe Me, is due out this summer on London's Fika Recordings label, preceded by a new digital single, "Burning Streets of Rome" in the late spring. As a fixture on the international indiepop festival circuit, with appearances at the Indietracks festival, Athens Popfest, NYC Popfest, Popfest New England, San Francisco Popfest, London Popfest, and the Cosy Den Festival in Stockholm, the Smittens have been bringing their lively, melodic sound to new fans every chance they get. The Smittens have toured across the US and in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. They've shared the stage with many bands they admire including Dear Nora, The Mountain Goats, Ballboy, Tullycraft, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Pony Up!, Mates of State, Mirah, The Butchies, Kimya Dawson, Dub Narcotic Sound System, Tender Trap, Bishop Allen, Boyracer, The Essex Green, Comet Gain, Standard Fare, Allo Darlin’, Bunnygrunt, The Manhattan Love Suicides, Northern Portrait, Cats on Fire, James Kochalka Superstar, and even Richie Havens!

The Smitens love shows of all kinds - in bars, clubs, at festivals, art spaces, colleges, squats, youth centers, parties, weddings and barns, and we always dress to impress. Drop us a line (booking@smittens.com) if you're interested in having us play. Also, you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

these days
The Smittens Lyrics

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Let out an audible sigh in the middle of my drive
There was a dead cat on the side of the highway
I'd been wanting less sound
Craving something more profound
I saw your name appear before I felt the phone vibrate
Oh Oh Oh Oh
That's how it tends to go these days
Oh Oh Oh Oh

In the middle of June the mosquitoes came too soon
We were drinking beers on the porch by your driveway
All the things that my bonitas served the time and space to breathe
You smelled me there before you knew just where I'd been hiding
Oh Oh Oh Oh
That's how it tends to go these days
Oh Oh Oh Oh
That's how it tends to go
I get so emotional baby
Every time I think of you
I get so emotional baby
It's shocking what love can do
I get so emotional baby
Every time I think of you
I get so emotional baby
It's shocking what love can do
Oh Oh Oh Oh
That's how it tends to go these days
Oh Oh Oh Oh
That's how it tends to go
Oh Oh Oh Oh
That's how it tends to go these days
Oh Oh Oh Oh

Let out an audible sigh in the middle of my drive
There was a dead cat on the side of the highway

Overall Meaning

The Smittens's song These Days is an introspective and reflective piece that deals with themes of loss, longing, and love. The first verse sets a melancholic tone, with the singer sighting a dead cat on the side of the highway while driving and realizing their own desire for less noise and more profound moments. The second verse builds on this tone and connects it with the memory of a shared moment, drinking beer on a porch during a romantic summer night with their significant other. The chorus reveals that despite feeling sad and emotional, the singer is still strongly attached to their lover, whose name appears on their phone, and whose scent they can recognize.

The lyrics of These Days convey a sense of nostalgia for past moments, the realization of the transience of life and the inevitability of loss. Thus, the song suggests that even though these feelings can be overwhelming, they are still worthwhile experiences, as they remind us of the beauty of life, the importance of love and the human connection.

Line by Line Meaning

Let out an audible sigh in the middle of my drive
I exhaled loudly while driving my car

There was a dead cat on the side of the highway
I noticed a dead cat on the side of the road

I'd been wanting less sound
I desired a more quiet environment

Craving something more profound
I yearned for something deeper and more meaningful

I saw your name appear before I felt the phone vibrate
I noticed your name on my phone's screen before feeling it vibrate

Oh Oh Oh Oh
Repetitive vocalization for emphasis

That's how it tends to go these days
This is how things typically occur nowadays

In the middle of June the mosquitoes came too soon
During June, mosquitoes appeared earlier than expected

We were drinking beers on the porch by your driveway
We were enjoying beer while sitting on your porch near the driveway

All the things that my bonitas served the time and space to breathe
All the things that make my life beautiful, allowed to exist freely

You smelled me there before you knew just where I'd been hiding
You recognized my scent before learning where I had been hiding