Smile: Laugh Track.

Smile play the B Lounge on Thursday and Fret Fest at South’s Leagues Club on June 9.

Eighteen months after the release of their self-titled disc, Smile have an interesting perspective on the recording.

“It’s kind of like a sample bag of everything we do,” guitarist and vocalist Tully explains. “Every track that’s a different style on the album represents maybe three of four other songs that we do. What do you like? We can do sets with a jazzy feel, get some more musicians in.”

“Things like Happee and Dum Dai La Ma are really kind of dancing songs, and they’re just great for daytime markets and things like that. Once I used to sit down and try to write some more happy dancey festival kind of music, but it’s really more about how you feel at the time. If it’s a good week songs can be up, but if shits going down sort of thing that tends to come out as well.”

As well as the frantic pace of the aforementioned tracks, the band has its mellower moments. It’s all part of taking an audience on a musical journey.

“Definitely. You’ve got to grab people’s attention and let people know who we are. The crowd really does conduct the set a lot of the time. We can send an hour putting together a set list to use like a road map, and then not use it at all when we’re up there. Everyone’s going crazy and there’s no way in hell we’re going to put a slow song in there.”

“A lot of the songs can come together a few different ways as well. We get extra people up with us, a didge or a sax or a harp, violin or something like that.”

All things going to plan, there’s another album waiting to be recorded.

“The percussionist Anthony and myself are really ready to get into it. That’s what the band is about; just getting into a jam out frenzy kind of thing. We never did screaming guitar solos or anything like that, so there were always big percussion break downs with me playing the guitar like a percussive instrument. We’re trying to get that back as the core of it with the rest of the band working around that. So that’s the core of the recording to come. Just to get right back into the rhythm.”

The tracks all have room to breathe, so it’s no surprise live jams and explorations are all part and parcel of the sound.

“A good gig for us is one where maybe the set just has four or five songs and you just jam. Come back in wherever, it’s all open ended. That’s what it’s all about for us.”