Originating in Indianapolis, Indiana, the fuzzed-out psychedelic power pop group S.M. Wolf first took form as a solitary venture by multi-instrumentalist Adam Gross, an elementary-school special-education teacher. Having previously led Amo Joy, Gross launched the project in 2013 to contribute to a local cassette compilation marking that year’s spring equinox, with every participating act conceived as a one-time event. He recorded all seven tracks alone. Following the cassette’s release, performance invitations began arriving, prompting Gross to expand the effort into a live quartet by enlisting former Amo Joy colleagues Ben Leslie on bass and James Furness on drums, plus Rachel Enneking, onetime keyboardist of Raw McCartney. Shortly after the band began playing shows, Furness exited and Melanie Rau assumed the drum chair. Derek Vorndran of In Store Recordings issued the group’s debut 7" in late 2013. In 2015 they signed with the local independent label Jurassic Pop Records and delivered the full-length album Canine Country Club. Three years afterward they returned with their second long-player, Bad Ocean, released through Joyful Noise.
