Blunt Bangs

Blunt Bangs emerged in 2020 as an Athens, Georgia-based indie rock outfit whose punchy style nods to the 1990s, drawing members from both Woods and Black Kids. Their first full-length, Proper Smoker, arrived as a debut in the final months of 2021.

Singer-guitarist Reggie Youngblood of Black Kids joined forces with singer-guitarist Christian DeRoeck, previously of Woods, Deep State, and Meneguar, along with drummer Cash Carter, known from Tracy Shedd and the Cadets, to establish the trio in Athens, long regarded as a hub for southern indie acts. Rehearsals took shape inside the Kindercore vinyl pressing plant during Carter’s shifts there, after which the group entered the studio with producer Drew Vandenburg of Of Montreal and Toro y Moi credits. Retaining echoes of their earlier projects, the musicians shaped a melodic power pop approach that recalled Teenage Fanclub’s louder stretch in the 1990s. Ernest Jenning Record Co. issued the completed Proper Smoker in September 2021.