REISSUE: Heatmiser – Mic City Sons (30th Anniversary)

 

Following the 2023 release of the archival compilation, The Music Of Heatmiser, Third Man Records recently released a deluxe reissue of Heatmiser’s third and final album, Mic City Sons, to celebrate its 30^th anniversary.  Heatmiser was the underappreciated early band of the late singer-songwriter Elliot Smith.  Here, the Portland, Oregon-based band’s swan song is newly remastered as an expanded 2LP set, complete with rare demos and previously unreleased tracks. 

Heatmiser consisted of vocalsist/guitarist Elliot Smith and Neil Gust along with bassist Sam Coomes and drummer Tony Lash; together, with producers Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock, they created a unique brand of indie rock that blended Smith’s trademark melancholy and ragged guitar style along with more upbeat, punk-flavored rock into a cult classic. 

The original 12-song album is doubled up with another 12 bonus tracks, highlighted by a demo version of the standout leadoff track “Get Lucky”, as well as a more straight-forward and rollicking version of album track “Christian Brothers”, an interesting untitled instrumental, and the upbeat but ominous “Dark Cloud”, a previously unreleased Gust-penned track.    

During recording sessions for Mic City Sons, Elliot Smith already had one foot out the door with his burgeoning solo career (his breakout, the Good Will Hunting Soundtrack would be released the following year) and the strained relationships are evident in the music but Heatmiser’s final chapter is a testament to the band they were and this new 30^th anniversary edition is the perfect introduction for new fans to carry on the legacy. 

For more info: https://ffm.to/miccitysons

Stream the Smith-led “See You Later” with its crunchy bounce here: