SNOW WHAT
“It’s Over” C32
(Rok Lok Records)




I have the biggest, stupidest face-splitting grin right now. The title track opens this tape by Snow What just kicked me right through a time warp, and I ended up back in 1995, a year by which every great indie rock band had released at least one record. I was a high school junior, fully immersed in the collection of any and all records by Unrest, Guided By Voices, Pavement, The Wedding Present and many others. It was a golden age, and I was the golden child, the savior who would contain all of the most wonderful albums in his collection, as well as in his vast and glorious musical encyclopedia: the mind. The groundwork was laid, and I embraced everything.

It must be universally accepted that Snow What was conceived in this year as well.

Not literally of course, because duh, they’ve only been around since 2010. But the metaphorical sperm penetrated Snow What’s egg about this time, unleashing a barrage of “Ew’s” and “Grosses” from horrified readers of this website everywhere. The fertilized trio matured into a band, their DNA containing trace components of all the acts mentioned above, plus many others. And because nurture and nature go hand in hand, the growth patterns of Snow What must have contained some lighthearted moments, because quick, energetic, upbeat songs don’t come from projects who can’t take it easy once in a while. I mean, their band name is a pun, after all!

Look, stupids, I absolutely dig on It’s Over, and it’s sad that it’s Snow What’s final release. We deserve more, because we’ve been good, more or less – well, at least fifty of us have, and that’s what the run is. I mean, other than Bob Pollard, who else is jamming out the fun stuff these days, keeping the torch lit for underdog power-poppers everywhere? Because that’s what bands like Snow What are, the underdogs, and they have every bit as much wit and charm and cheek and affectation as perennial bench players like Seafood, Chisel, and Sal Paradise. It’s amazing to hear a band like this go out with such a bang – I hope their efforts don’t go unnoticed beyond the handful of ghouls who have purchased this tape. I should probably stop typing right here – the corners of my mouth are threatening to engulf my ears, and I’m afraid if I keep listening I’ll be killed by my own smile. Wouldn’t that be something! 1995 me would be so proud, but likely still single.




--Ryan Masteller