Kitchens of Distinction - Smiling

What this video is

Released in 1992 as the US lead single from The Death of Cool — Kitchens of Distinction's third album on One Little Indian (UK) and A&M (US) — 'Smiling' arrived at a cultural crossroads: shoegaze and dream pop were ceding mainstream space to grunge, and the album peaked at only #72 on the UK Albums Chart despite critical regard. The choice of 'Smiling' as the US single over the band's preferred 'Breathing Fear'…

Why it matters

Kitchens of Distinction occupied a hybrid space between post-punk, dream pop, jangle pop, and shoegaze, and are retrospectively recognized as precursors to the latter genre's commercial peak. 'Smiling' generated US Billboard Alternative Songs chart placements, making its promo video a rare…