Space Camp

The first official release from Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Sean Danger Smith drops on Spring Garden Records while we are all practicing social distancing, holed up in our homes, to minimize the devastating effects of the covid-19 pandemic on our communities.  Born Sean Patrick Smith, Smith’s Space Camp is an autobiographical and intimate look into this unique artist’s take on life and engaging storytelling.  Armed with only guitars, the occasional synthesizer and a microphone, Smith creates stunning arrangements which require repeat listens to expose their true depth and beauty.

Some comparisons will be drawn to contemporaries including Bon Iver and Ry X, but Smith’s soaring melodies and captivating hooks hold their own.  After spending a year at Loyola University in New Orleans, Smith found the root of inspiration for his sound and drastically changed the way he structured his songs as he references in the opening track titled Same Way.  His virtuosic control of the acoustic guitar can be heard in Unsupervised where in one pass he finger picks his way through cascading rhythms.  In Svedka, Smith shares a personal story, told from a woman’s perspective, which seamlessly leads into Blood Shot Eyes, another love song filled with alcohol and cigarette references and raw storytelling.  On the title track, and epic EP closer, Space Camp, Smith looks into his past singing, “pick me up, I’m tired of Space Camp, the other kids make fun of me.”  Sean Danger Smith is the kind of storyteller we need to uplift us during this time: fresh, crude and an open book.