SONG REVIEW: Rad Stacey - “Smile”

Written by Jesse James Smith

With the remaster of Tony Hawk’s Pro  Skater 3 & 4 looming, I feel myself starting to gravitate to skatepunk a little bit more. Which leads me to Arizona’s own Rad Stacey. Emerging onto the scene in 2020, this covid baby band has hit the ground sprinting in their local scene. With consistent releases which includes their first album “Shhh Tell’Em All” in early 2020. In 2024, the guys put out an EP called “Viber Rider” which featured the song ‘Smile’. Today we’ll be looking back at that track along with the new versions they just released! An excellent way to recapture some magic of past releases. 

Smile was the EP ender, the song that leaves you feeling good and wanting more, and what’s more perfect than a track called Smile to leave you happy. But this time, the song is Remastered and comes with an acoustic version and a lo-fi version for you hard at work studiers. Smile starts with a slow acoustic guitar and vocal combo but that is very short lived as the band is known for the energetic and high tempo songs. Teetering the line between easycore and punk, they do a good job not being tied down to one genre but you can tell they are one the route of the mid 2000’s punk, especially in the vocals. Another highlight is their drummer who is always on point. His chops and the way he carries the music through every stage is apparent and really impressive. The part you hear this the most is in the chorus where the band switches into that easycore vibe with something a little heavier and syncopated. 

This revamped version with the added remixes not only gave the track an extra breath, but it also showed the evolution of the band. From Nov. 2024 to now, the quality went up drastically and this is a great new showing of the band and what to expect from them moving forward. Now that they have re-released Smile, I can’t wait to hear where their new music is going to be headed.