SMITH, ELIOTT / KREBS, PETE - Shytown / No Confidence Man (Yellow Vinyl) (7")

"No Confidence Man" b/w "Shytown" is limited to 500 copies opaque yellow vinyl. Additionally, the 7" features all new artwork by Grammy nominated designer Jesse LeDoux and includes a download coupon. In 1994, Portland's idiosyncratic punk pop group Hazel and hushed indie band Heatmiser were providing a less aggravated alternative to the big riffs and howling frontmen of their grunge peers in Seattle. Both bands had strong albums that helped highlight the diversity of Northwest's rock scene, and both bands had guitarists that were dabbling in solo material. Heatmiser's Elliott Smith had just released his critically acclaimed album Roman Candle, and Hazel's Pete Krebs was preparing his debut for Cavity Search Records. It's no surprise that the tiny burgeoning indie label Slo-Mo Records pounced on the opportunity to release a split 7" by these developing talents. Smith's "No Confidence Man" is a classic example of his early, stripped-down heartbroken ballads while Krebs' "Shytown" is a gorgeous acoustic number that deftly navigates between somber passages and the buoyant melodies he was known for in his work with Hazel. Long out of print, it's Suicide Squeeze Records' proud honor to repress the 7" as part of their 20-year anniversary celebratory series.