Smirk

Smirk from Fairfield, CT

Nick Vicario has a deep history with punk rock. Growing up in Portland, OR in the early 2000s, he was engrained in the scene that birthed Poison Idea and Wipers, playing in bands at an early age and hob-knobbing with members of Tragedy and Criminal Damage in cover bands and even on the gridiron. At age 12, his first band The Diskords were the toast of Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll illuminati, leading to several releases and The Exploding Hearts taking them under their wing. Playing in hardcore bands like Cower eventually led him to indie pop band Wild Ones, who released two records across eight years, the latter of which landed on Topshelf Records. After stints with Public Eye, Cemento, Crisis Man and others, in addition to touring with Surfer Blood and Dreamdecay, Vicario decided to focus his energies on his solo project, Smirk, dropping two albums S/T in 2021 and Material in 2022.

On Speculative Fiction Vicario is restarting personally and musically. For the latter, Smirk is slowing things down, taking a more measured, power-pop approach, and straying away from the speed-y punk that marked earlier releases. The result is decidedly more mid-paced, reflecting the works of Big Star and The Paul Collins Beat as much as early Stiff releases, but filtered through the DIY spirit of Guided by Voices. “I wanted to be more deliberate and have my music reflect what I listen to,” recalls Vicario. “In the past I was more focused on just making fast punk, but I wanted to bring in my current musical influences even though they're still rooted in classic punk, and throw in a bit of pop and metal here and there. And definitely be more thoughtful in my lyrics.”