There’s a warm fuzzy-wuzziness the Smittens bring with them to the stage. And they feel it’s helped fuel that fan base. “I think that there’s something about the way we are together on stage,” says Kaplan. “You can see we’re a good group of friends, and that comes out in our banter and the dynamics we have.” Although they describe their relationships as more like brothers and sisters than friends, there is little sibling rivalry or back-seat bickering to report. Kaplan, who’s getting a master’s in negotiation and conflict resolution, adds that this outfit “hardly gives me any opportunity in practicing my skills.”
That solidarity comes in handy when you’re wholly independent. “You have to be really creative to do everything on your own terms,” says Clary. A big part of that is Zacharis’s colorful flyer designs, which, filled with winsome-faced, bubblegum boys and girls holding hands, give credence to the Smittens’ twee image. Both their songs and their flyers, according to Clary, “tie into the same vision of innocence and warmth and love.” That’s the biggest hook, they say, more than any riff or beat they could hope to pen. “You hear a song that gives you a glimmer of hope about something, that’s inspiring and attractive,” explains Kaplan. “Who doesn’t want it?”
THE SMITTENS + ONE HAPPY ISLAND + THE 500S | Lizard Lounge,1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge | February 9 | 617.547.0759
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