Audren wrote “Smile, People Smile” talking to herself in front of a microphone after months of everything going sideways. The track is indie pop/R&B with a clear 90s personality, and the horn arrangements are the first thing that grab you. They bring a sharpness and sophistication that calls back to Donald Fagen without feeling like imitation. Then a blues guitar solo shows up mid-track and adds a gritty, human texture that keeps the whole thing from floating off into polished oblivion.
The rhythm section is locked in tight. Bass, guitar, drums, and keys all move together with the kind of easy confidence that takes serious musicianship to pull off. You get the sense everyone in the room was having a good time recording this, and that energy does not disappear when you hit play.
Audren herself sounds like someone who earned her good mood. Her vocal delivery has personality and genuine warmth, nothing forced, nothing overdone. The chorus sticks around long after the song ends, and the laughter in the outro is a genuinely nice touch that wraps things up with a grin rather than a bow.
This is the fifth release from Think Freedom, and if the rest of the album holds this standard, it is going to be a memorable record.
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