Schmack!

Schmack! received generally mixed-to-positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who highlighted its energetic, trend-conscious fusion of genres while noting an abundance of formulaic track structures.

AllMusic critic Johnny Loftus called the album a "clattering, campy, gloriously in-the-moment scrapheap of riffs and attitude," basically labeling them as New Zealand's version of Sum 41. He pointed out that the band was really good at slapping "outsized metal riffs and impossibly generic white-boy raps onto a punk-pop framework." That said, he warned that it’s best taken in small doses, admitting the record "works in two-minute doses, anyway" and is dragged down by its "fair share of useless filler."

Loftus praised the production work of David Kahne, noting that he effectively tempered the potentially polarizing vocal performance of co-vocalist Tyson Kennedy. According to Loftus, Kahne "cleverly plays [Kennedy's] presence off the more traditional chorus vocals of Brad Carter." Kennedy's rapid-fire delivery on the hit single "Walkie Talkie Man" was described as a "snarky patter" resembling "Scrappy-Doo with Red Bull wings." While Loftus dismissed the track's composition as "paint-by-numbers modern rock" relies entirely on its central guitar hook, he credited Kahne's production for its success.

The album's stylistic shifts were compared to "early, freakout period Red Hot Chili Peppers" updated for an "attention-span-less new millennium," specifically citing the "blathering funk metal" of the title track and the cartoonish nature of "Fat and Proud." Loftus designated "White Trash" as the album's definitive "bomb track," describing it as an ironic, triumphant anthem of low culture suited for the "pre-Joe Dirt era." Concluding his assessment, Loftus wrote that the track encapsulated the "disposable yet lovable dichotomy of Steriogram," providing a boost to their otherwise "suspect staying power."^[8]

Michelle Kleinsak of Entertainment Weekly highlighted the album's lighthearted approach to an "often overwrought genre," noting that "there's no danger of this New Zealand rap-rock quintet taking itself too seriously." Kleinsak described the record as a "giddy debut" characterized by a "schizo blend of vintage AC/DC riffs, bratty early-Beasties humor, and Weezerish harmonies," specifically pointing to the tracks "White Trash" and "Fat & Proud" as prime examples of the band's cheeky humor. While she singled out the hyperactive lead single "Walkie Talkie Man" as the album's peak of "garage-rock cool," she ultimately concluded that the project remained "a refreshing schmack upside the head."^[9]

All songs written by Tyson Kennedy, Tim Youngson, Bradley Carter, Jacob Adams, Jared Wrenell)

• Tyson Kennedy - lead vocals
• Brad Carter - co-lead vocals, lead guitar
• Tim Youngson - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Jake Adams - bass guitar, backing vocals
• Jared Wrennall - drums, backing vocals