The Smittens

The Smittens formed as a Burlington, Vermont-based twee pop group whose tastes ran toward Beat Happening, Belle & Sebastian, the Archies, and Magnetic Fields. Keyboardist and vocalist Dana Kaplan and vocalist Max Andrucki had previously worked together in the Archibalds, a project that ended around 2002; the new band did not fully take shape until 2003, once Kaplan came back from time abroad and completed the lineup alongside drummer Holly Chagnon, guitarist Colin Clary, and bassist David Zacharis. The five-piece began playing shows in the region and contributed songs to various compilations, where their style stood out for its cutesy co-ed vocals, lighthearted instrumentation, and pointedly humorous lyrics tied to the local scene, as heard on tracks such as “Doomed, Lo-fi and in Love” and “I Hate Vermont.” In early 2004 the group released its first full-length album, Gentlefication Now!, through Dangerfive, the label run by Zacharis.