SNMNMNM: Crawl Inside Your Head

Chapel Hill’s SNMNMNM has a tuba player. And while the band claims the tuba isn’t there merely as a gimmick, its hard to buy that line when they take so little advantage of the instrument. On Crawl Inside Your Head, the band continues its well-established — and well-worn — power pop sound. These songs are self-aware and the band sound like they’re trying to be clever by referencing basic things like novels and alcohol. The results are pleasant, but also easily forgotten. When they do take advantage of the tuba, as on “Out of Here”, the band sounds much better, like a confident pop band pumping out catchy hooks. But for the most part they avoid that less-traveled road in favor of the wide, thin road of bratty power pop. They may be a local party favorite down at UNC, but unfortunately you’re not likely to remember them at two in the morning, when the house lights come up.