“It’s a reminder to look for the good no matter how dark things feel” – An Interview with Smokey Brights
Seattle indie rockers Smokey Brights have just shared their stunning new record Dashboard Heat. It’s the fifth album from members Kim West (vocals/keys), Ryan Devlin (vocals/guitars), Luke Ragnar (bass/vocals), and Nick Krivchenia (drums) and is being released on Share It Music. In alignment with Share It Music’s mission, a portion of the album’s proceeds will benefit the band’s chosen charity: The Vera Project, an all-ages nonprofit space committed to fostering personal and community transformation through youth-driven engagement in music and art.
On Dashboard Heat, the band craft a ramshackle rocket of a record, one that explores cars, childhood, light, grief, and celestial yearning, all grounded in the Northwest band’s signature songcraft. Produced by Andy D. Park (in exchange for Ryan painting his studio), the album shoots for the stars without losing its roots.
We caught up with Ryan to chat about the new record, their work with The Vera Project and their upcoming tour.
Hi Ryan! How’s everything going right now?
Hello! Personally, we’re good. We’re feeling deep gratitude that we have Smokey Brights as a means of connection, joy, and resistance, especially in a moment with so much isolation and division. Playing and going to concerts feels really good right now. Having an excuse to be around people and consume art, as opposed to staring at screens feels incredible. The “everything” is certainly eerie and chaotic though. It’s stressful to live under authoritarianism, it turns out 😬 Our neighbors are being disappeared into vans by masked men, friends are losing their jobs for believing in basic facts, all while we witness our taxes funding immeasurable horrors upon the children of Palestine. Perhaps the level of chaos is reason for hope however, as some of the glaring contradictions of our systems have been laid bare for all to see. They say the sky is darkest before the sun rises, and we’re ready for that sunrise.
What classic album cover art is your current mood?
Great question! Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here kind of sums up the feeling right now. We’re waking up everyday simultaneously processing what’s going on in the world, while trying to put in the work to get our new little record out. It’s surreal to go about your business while things are metaphorically (and literally) on fire.
Loving your new album. When/where did you write and record “Dashboard Heat”?
Dashboard Heat is a portrait of the last few years of our life, mostly written in our North Seattle home. The album’s opener Northgate Way is literally just images of the street we live on. A lot of the record was written during a time of grief, as we were saying goodbye to a parent, then processing their passing after a long battle with cancer. Other songs are commentary about this present moment. All in Who You Know is about everything being expensive at the grocery store while Roman Holiday is about living in a post Roe America. Some songs were demos that we kicked around for a few years, Beautiful Dreamer we wrote in a hotel room during an artist residency years ago.
My favorite tracks are “Never Hurts Never Mind”, “Peace Sign Pentagram” and “Reaction”. Do you have any favorites or is it ;like asking you who your favorite child is?
Dashboard Heat is a mood ring of a record, and our favorites shift every listen depending on how we feel. We wanted to take the listener on an emotional journey, full of sugary highs and cathartic lows. We hope it’s consumed as a whole. If we have to choose favorites though… we posted a clip of Northgate Way and it’s getting tons of hilarious commentary from our fellow Seattlites. We’re also loving playing Trying to Find a Light, as it’s a reminder to look for the good no matter how dark things feel.
A portion of the proceeds will be going to The Vera Project as the record is being released through Share It Music. It’s a great cause – how did you get involved with the label and the organization?
Vera has been close to our hearts throughout our Seattle music lives. All ages music is tough in Seattle for a thousand reasons. We just did a soundtrack for an incredible NPR/KUOW Podcast called Let the Kids Dance that elaborates on Seattle’s vexing relationship with all ages music (a must listen!) Vera is one of the few dedicated all ages music spaces in Seattle, and we grew up going to shows there. Kim served on the board for the past six years, using both her experience as a touring musician and her legal background to help support the place that supported us as kids. We started working with Share It Music with our instrumental project, mega cat. Share It’s model is literally a revenue share with the non-profit of the bands choosing. Vera was an obvious choice for us, as we want to hear great music coming out of Seattle for generations to come!
If you could only listen to one record, what would it be?
Oh man, that’s exceptionally tough. Can we get a box set of all the Beatles? If it’s one record, probably Graceland by Paul Simon.
The cover art for “Dashboard Heat” by Brazilian surrealist Bruno Cesar is great – how did the collaboration come together?
We just started dm’ing on Instagram. Dashboard Heat has all these themes that naturally lined up with Bruno’s themes: stars, cars, journeys, and dreams. He employs these textures that feel vintage or nostalgic, and we felt like the aesthetic alignment was perfect. Bruno went so above and beyond on this project! There’s an Easter egg from each song on the cover art, and if you get the vinyl there’s a sixteen page “lyric comic book” which takes Smokeys and our two Siamese cats Tina and Tiny on an adventure through space.
You released your first album “Taste for Blood” back in 2014. If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourselves knowing what you know now?
Be kind, be sweet, and be gentle with yourself. Making original music and playing shows is really fun, but it will be hard in ways you can’t imagine. We pushed through mountains of self doubt, performed on no sleep, and have received rejection and acceptance in crashing waves. It’s all a lot easier when you’re kind to yourself.
Who were your favorite artists that inspired you to form Smokey Brights?
The Weakerthans, Neko Case, The Mountain Goats, Fleetwood Mac, The Clash, The Cranberries, The Replacements, Fiona Apple, and Alanis Morissette to name a few. We’re really interested in emotional truth, storytelling, and imagery, which all of these artists do so damn well. We also want to rock and give the listener a reason to dance!
You’re about to head off on a US Tour to promote the album. Where are you looking forward to playing the most and what would be your “dream gig”?
We’re so pumped to get in the van and play shows every night! We can’t wait to get back to LA, Denver, Boise, DC, and San Francisco. We’re hitting a few US cities that we’ve never played like Boston and Philly. In Philly we’re teaming up with this incredible podcast we were on called Your Next Favorite Band which we’re really pumped about.
Dream Gig: Smokey Brights at The Gorge opening for Bruce Springsteen. Bruce you need an opener man?!
What would go on your signature pizza and what would it be called?
We actually met working at a pizza restaurant! Kim, Ryan, and Nick all worked at a wood fired pizza place in South Seattle, so pizza is near and dear to our hearts. In the early days our order was a pepperoni and jalapeno pizza, which might as well have been called the Heartburn Special. These days however, if it’s for the whole band, we’d need a gluten free, dairy-free, meat free option with our various dietary restrictions. So, these days we don’t do a lot of pizza as a band, haha!
What’s next for Smokey Brights in 2026?
Hopefully more touring, we’d love to get back to Europe.
Smokey Brights have steadily built a national profile since their 2014 debut Taste for Blood, with each release gaining more acclaim Levitator and the Broken Too EP both landed on KEXP’s Best of 2023 list. Alongside critical praise, their music has found a life of its own in other mediums, including placements in the indie video game Pacific Drive and the NPR podcast Let the Kids Dance!.
They’ll be supporting Dashboard Heat with extensive touring this fall, including shows on both coasts, the Southwest, and the Northwest. You can get tickets for the date of your choice by visiting this link. The physical release is equally ambitious, with cover art and an illustrated lyric comic by Brazilian surrealist Bruno Cesar, packed with Easter eggs and Silver Age sci-fi flair.
You can get more information about Smokey Brights by visiting their website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook for all the latest news.
Feature Image Credit – Jake Hanson
