Smothered is a Denton-based alternative rock band formed in 2019 by guitarist and vocalist, Taylor Watt, and drummer, Simon Russell. They played live and streamed as a two-piece for much of 2020, first relying on older material Taylor wrote for a previous project, a collection of songs commenting on the mistreatment of women in the DIY music scene.
One track, “Smothered”, became their source of inspiration as Simon and Taylor explored broader themes of desperation, loneliness, abuse, and heartache. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Taylor experienced a mental health crisis that catalyzed the writing of their debut album, “Digest,” a record riddled with discordant melodies and noisy progressions, coupling angst with moody nihilism reminiscent of the 90’s alt rock underground.
While recording the album with now-lead guitarist Zach Palmer, they looked to expand their live presence and Zach was anxious to fill in as a permanent bassist. Over the next few years, “Digest” was released to local acclaim, and bassist, Mal Frenza, joined the band to finalize their current line-up while they developed more complex instrumentation.
“‘My Southern Girl’ is one of the first songs we started working on post the release of ‘Digest’. It was also one of the first songs that we were able to fully collaborate on as a band. I have a heavy hand in the writing process, especially with songs on the last album. With this track, Zach actually wrote the main riff as part of an effort to drive creativity in the group and move in a new direction. I took that riff and ran with it, Simon wrote their parts fairly early on, and we sat on it for months.
After Mal joined, we decided to start playing new material, and that’s when we really jammed on the song in practice. I didn’t write the lead lines, so Zach had the opportunity to experiment and come up with what is honestly my favorite part. That lead in the chorus fits the tone so well, and I could have never come up with it on my own. That’s all Zach. After Mal added her bass runs, the song went from a pretty bland demo I put together to a really dynamic whole.”
Taylor Watt
SOURCE: Official Bio
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