Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by John Richards, host of the Morning Show on KEXP, is "Long Goodbye" by Smokey Brights, from the 2023 album Levitator from Nine Mile.
For over a decade, Seattle natives Smokey Brights have been building a loyal fanbase with their high-energy shows and emotionally resonant music. In early June, the quartet, led by husband-and-wife duo Kim West and Ryan Devlin, unveiled their fourth full-length Levitation. The record is touted as, “A motivational mix-tape for our collective crisis of confidence,” and a “musical, magical incantation cast to lift off and dance with the cosmos, to dig deep where the diamonds shine, to laugh away our self-pity.”
Our Song of the Day is the early single “Long Goodbye” which features a rambling guitar line and belted harmonies, as West and Devlin examine the complex feelings left in the aftermath of a decayed relationship. The band describes the song like this:
“Long Goodbye reflects on how some relationships only find their meaning in how they end. At the conclusion of an ill fated romance, a tumultuous friendship, or even a bad job, there’s a moment you realize that all that pain, all that uncertainty you felt surrounding the other person was a long goodbye.”
Catch Smokey Brights at the Crocodile opening for Neal Francis on Saturday, July 8th, and watch their KEXP in-studio session from 2018 below.
