New SML single "Chicago Four" OUT NOW // new album HOW YOU BEEN out November 7th
(( photo by Charlie Weinmann ))
SML SHARE "CHICAGO FOUR"
FROM NEW ALBUM HOW YOU BEEN
Today, LA-based quintet SML (bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, drummer Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann) share the track and video for a new single – “Chicago Four” – from the forthcoming album How You Been (which is out LP/CD/DD November 7th).
The group will also be on a run of shows across fall 2025, including performances at Hulaween in Florida, Church of Sound in London, Thalia Hall in Chicago, a two-night stand at Los Angeles venue Zebulon, and more.
“Chicago Four” uses a live recording from treasured Chicago haunt The Empty Bottle as its foundation. The track starts with interlocking synth and percussion loops before Uhlmann’s wobble-effected electric guitar melody and Butterss’s picked bass counterpoint enter. Stardrum’s swinging traps then slide in, catching up to a couple of added percussion layers, before Johnson adds distorted chordal hits that sound like hard horn samples from a golden era Bomb Squad or Rakim beat. It all intertwines perfectly and makes an otherworldly vehicle for Johnson and Chiu’s cascading keyed melody, which soars above and between, complimenting either side of a hypnotically shifting, infectiously repeating modulation.
"Chicago Four" also comes via brilliant black and white animation by Nespy5euro.
Upcoming Shows
October 31st - Live Oak FL - Hulaween - tickets
November 20th - London UK - Church of Sound
December 1st - Los Angeles CA - Zebulon - tickets
December 2nd - Los Angeles CA - Zebulon - tickets
December 11th - Philadelphia PA - Solar Myth - tickets
December 12th - Brooklyn NY - The Sultan Room - tickets
December 13th - Brooklyn NY - The Sultan Room - tickets
December 14th - Chicago IL - Thalia Hall - tickets
February 25th - San Diego CA - The Loft @ UCSD - tickets
February 26th - San Francisco CA - SF JAZZ Joe Henderson Lab - tickets
February 27th - San Francisco CA - SF JAZZ Joe Henderson Lab - tickets
March 26th - Knoxville TN - Big Ears Festival (3 night residency) - tickets
March 27th - Knoxville TN - Big Ears Festival (3 night residency) - tickets
March 28th - Knoxville TN - Big Ears Festival (3 night residency) - tickets
(( photo by David Haskell ))
…about SML…
SML is a quintet composed of luminaries from Los Angeles’s thriving jazz, improvised, and indie music scenes: bassist Anna Butterss (Jason Isbell, Phoebe Bridgers, Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker), synthesist Jeremiah Chiu (Ariel Kalma, Marta Sofia Honer, Icy Demons), saxophonist Josh Johnson (Meshell Ndegeocello, Leon Bridges, Carlos Niño), percussionist Booker Stardrum (Photay, Lisel, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Wendy Eisenberg) and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann (Meg Duffy, Perfume Genius, Tasha).
Their debut album Small Medium Large was recorded at the band’s first gigs at ETA in late 2022 and early 2023, post-produced in the following year, and released in Summer 2024 to wide critical acclaim, landing on ‘Best of 2024’ lists by Tone Glow, Passion of the Weiss, Bandcamp Daily, Hearing Things, and others.
Following the release of Small Medium Large, the band expanded beyond Los Angeles to perform at various festivals and venues including Rewire (NL), Brdcast (BE), Warm Love Cool Dreams (Chicago), Winter Jazz Fest (NY), Pickathon (OR), and others.
SML return with a new album, How You Been, in fall 2025, as well as a string of shows taking them through early 2026. In March 2026, they will be artists in residence at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN, performing three nights in a row at the internationally renowned creative music summit.
DELUXE VINYL PACKAGE
How You Been comes on a 140 gram vinyl LP, inside a heavyweight reverse-board jacket with IARC obi strip and poly-lined printed inner-sleeve. Lacquers cut by Daniel K at SST, and pressed at Pallas in Germany.
Limited Edition *Plankton* Color Vinyl - $29
Classic Black Vinyl - $24
also available on
Compact Disc - $15
!!! FALL '25 BUNDLE IS HERE !!!
SML's How You Been is the most recent of three new physical releases we've announced for the upcoming fall season. And per usual, we're offering a limited quantity of bundles that gather them all, available for purchase now via our Bandcamp page.
The Fall ‘25 Bundle collects a full season of new releases and ships them as a single parcel. Purchase gets you a bundle-exclusive discount of 10% off the LP prices as well as a discounted shipping cost.
Included in the Fall '25 Bundle:
IARC0103 (Makaya McCraven - Off the Record 2xLP)
IARC0099 (Tortoise - Touch)
IARC0105 (SML- How You Been)
Bundles will ship from our warehouses in the US, EU, and UK, but don’t wait too long, the quantity available in each warehouse is limited! Early purchase is recommended to ensure the lowest possible shipping, tax, and VAT costs. All items will ship together in one package around October 22nd. Bandcamp downloads will be sent via email for all the releases by, or before, the ship date.
ORDER THE FALL '25 BUNDLE on
limited edition color vinyl here
ORDER THE FALL '25 BUNDLE on
classic black vinyl here
