By Joe Jamnitzky
You know how when we write about an album release, we say the band “hails from (enter city here)”? Well, Superorganism hails from pretty much everywhere.
I’m dead serious. This eight-piece (and multiplying) group contains members from England, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, and after a year of releasing singles (including their first recording, “Something For Your M.I.ND.”, which caused enough of a sensation on the internet to the point that it ended up in the “Fifa 18” video game), they’re set to release their debut, self-titled album.
This is an album that, at first, seems a bit disjointed. This is due, in part, to the fact that 5 of the 10 songs have been released as singles prior to the album. Along with that, the album is actually front-loaded with those 5 songs being in the first 6 tracks. As a result, you end up with something that comes dangerously close to sounding like 2 E.P.s being released as one collection. Indeed, the second half of the album does drag slightly but rebounds on the final track.
However, it’s to the band’s credit that, despite those flaws, they manage to put together something that uses classic techniques in modern ways. There’s no escaping the fact that the majority of this is pop. Hooks? Check. Melodies? Check. Laid back, chilled lead vocals with sing-along choruses? Check. All of this is done in a very electronic way, with samples, sound effects, and loops layered alongside vocals and instruments to create something that is borderline weird and catchy, familiar yet new.
So, is it perfect? Not quite. Spreading out the singles probably would’ve helped with the flow a great deal and kept that second half from dragging (though it does pick back up by the final track). But when that’s one of the only complaints you have for a debut album, then it’s safe to say they’re on the right track. Now we sit back and see where they decide to take us.
Rating: An almost Super first attempt
