Acid Smoothie reworks the past on high-powered album, "Carts in the Rain"
“Carts in the Rain” finds Acid Smoothie looking backward without nostalgia weighing him down. Instead, Paul Dunne uses his past as a base, setting it alight with the confidence and clarity of an artist who’s only leveled his style. The album, a collection of re-recorded material from several now-retired solo projects, does not feel like a retrospective or a cleanup job. It 100% feels like a full sprint forward, powered by years of trial, error, and a sharpened creative instinct. The end result is a cohesive record that literally made our hair stand up by the end of our first listen.
From the opening moments on “Still Standing Still”, the record hits with a full-bodied force that immediately distinguishes these versions from their earlier incarnations. Dunne proves that the bedroom studio is still a place of discovery, capable of producing both overwhelming volume and strange texture. The guitars are gloriously in-your-face, drenched in fuzz and pushed to the edge without tipping into chaos for the hell of it. Massive drums drive everything forward with a physical intensity that makes the album feel tailor-made for a sweaty room packed with bodies.
Raised on the glorious Southern California garage rock scene of the 2010s, Dunne wears his influences proudly, channeling the spirit of that era’s fuzzed-out freedom while still carving out a sound that is unmistakably his own. His vocals sit perfectly in the mix, equal parts sneer and grittiness grounding the psychedelic swirl with a ton of personality. Across the album’s nine tracks, there is an impressive sense of control beneath the noise. Yeah it’s loud, but it also has a sense of that control and knows when to ramp things up to never overdo those explosions. Two perfect examples would be “Franciscan Honey” and the short but sweet “Swagger”.
This record is alive and even though it was recorded, there’s such a live intensity that never lets up, literally like you’re in the room where it all happened. There is a huge dose of energy running through the entire record, a sense that these songs have been waiting for this moment to exist in their fullest form. The psychedelia never overstays its welcome, adding color and dimension without dulling the impact.
Perhaps the most notable thing beyond the music itself is Dunne’s decision to donate all Bandcamp sales of the album to the ACLU in support of immigrant rights. To that we say helllll ya. It reinforces the idea that this project is not just about revisiting old material, but about aligning art with values, using sound and action together to make a statement. We’ve linked the Bandcamp page below so you can help support.
Acid Smoothie has turned those past memories into a truly momentous occasion, serving up a record that crackles with life and reminds us that garage rock, when done right, can still feel dangerous and as relevant as ever. Listen up loud, make sure to follow along, and of course you can stay tuned with everything else by clicking those links below. Enjoy!
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