By Frank Alkyer | Published June 2026
If you’re looking for some pulsating, full-metal-jacket instant improvisation, SML delivers and then some. The Los Angeles-based quintet has been thrilling audiences with its live shows, including a killer three-night, six-set residency at the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, last March. The group has built an enviable reputation since its debut in 2022 with Small Medium Large, followed by How You Been in 2025, both receiving lofty critical praise. But the band’s latest release, Spontaneous Music Live, offers the deepest understanding of why fans flood the floor to hear them. There are just two tracks, “The Drums” and “Roundabouts,” clocking in at 23:46 and 24:34 minutes, respectively. On “The Drums,” Booker Stardrum, appropriately the drummer, lays out an awe-inspiring wall of rhythm. Anna Butterss tucks in an incredibly tasteful, melodic bass grove. Saxophonist Josh Johnson wails over this sonic bed while keyboardist Jeremiah Chiu and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann float on a cloud of sound when the music turns from driving to atmospheric. “Roundabouts” begins with some muffled voices leading into what sounds like the beat and timbre of an alarm clock. Processed voices, electronics and sparse saxophone drops dance in and around. It’s one part art music, one part dance music — looping, hypnotic and cool. The music of Spontaneous Music Live feels like 2 a.m. on a Los Angeles freeway. There’s a noir edge to the music, drawing the listener in with irrepressible beats and layer upon layer of sound and nuance. There’s an element of, “Oh, I missed that before,” because there’s so much sound to take in. It’s an aural treat — jazz with a punk rock attitude and high-art complexity.
