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Smut – “Sunset Hymnal”: A Neon Prayer for the Disillusioned
New Music World Song Review – July 2025
Liner Notes
Song Title: “Sunset Hymnal”
Artist: Smut
Release Date: June 28, 2025
Label: Bayonet Records
Genre(s): Shoegaze / Indie Rock / Dream Pop / Alt-Punk
Runtime: 4:23
Album: Tomorrow Comes Crashing
Recorded at: Electrical Audio, Chicago
Produced by: Dave Vettraino
Mixed by: Emily Lazar
Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Band Members: Tay Roebuck (vocals), Andrew Min (guitar), Sam Ruschman (bass), Hari Gnanaseelan (drums)
What the Critics Say
| Outlet | Score | Excerpt |
|---|---|---|
| Stereogum | “Song of the Week” 🏆 | “A shoegaze anthem that dares to look you in the eye.” |
| BrooklynVegan | N/A | “If Lush and Fugazi had a baby raised by No Doubt.” |
| Pitchfork Selects | Featured Pick | “A twilight riot. Guitars shimmer, then explode.” |
| NME Radar | 4/5 | “Smut prove they’re not just noise — they’re nuance.” |
| The Quietus | Positive mention | “A glittering, feedback-drenched confessional.” |
New Music World Review
Sunset Hymnal doesn’t try to save you — it just stands next to you as the streetlights flicker on and you realize your youth is fading like a pop hook. Smut stack the track with walls of guitar like unpaid therapy, and Tay Roebuck sings like someone trying to outpace their past with reverb and eyeliner. It’s not nostalgic, it’s a warning. A glitter-soaked spiral dance at the edge of whatever’s next. Anthemic, anxious, and tender in the way breaking a bottle is tender if you’re holding it just right. The sunset in the title isn’t peaceful — it’s radioactive.
🔊 Listen: Youtube
Related Tracks
- “Catch Me If You Can” – Smut
- “Shoegazer” – Blushing
- “Heaven or Las Vegas” – Cocteau Twins
- “I Can’t See You Anymore” – Wednesday
Who Are Smut?
Chicago’s genre-scrambling crew has been evolving from lo-fi punk to cinematic dream-punk since their 2020 EP Power Fantasy. Vocalist Tay Roebuck weaves vocal hooks through harsh noise, like Debbie Harry raised on Sonic Youth and vintage VHS tapes.
Tomorrow Comes Crashing marks their leap into the big leagues of noise-pop.
Sunset as Devotion
Sunset Hymnal feels spiritual in the way a rehearsal space smells after six hours of trying to feel something. The song takes its title seriously — it’s a hymn for those who believe in distortion pedals and minor chords more than deities.
