The new EP from Superlove is a fascinating mix between slamming hard rock and commercial pop: a mix that is dynamic and shimmering and creates something quite refreshing. Thundering guitars sit next to bubbling synths within one track, with a vocal overlay that ranges from synth-infected vocoders to raw and emotional melodies. There is a power and dynamism that is positively euphoric and clears any fuzziness from between your ears in the most cathartic manner. Of the EP, Superlove says:
We wanted to write a brand-new EP that had no limitations on genre, but also to take a step into a direction we maybe hadn’t gone with our debut EP. The heavier side of the band’s sound needed to be heightened as well as the synthetic sound. It was recorded and produced purely by us and we hope that bedroom/DIY feel comes across when listening as we’re such big fans of when music is recorded that way and it always has digital feel which was a big aim for the overall sound. We hope people see this EP as our bands “in between project” until we can get back to some normality. That’s where the name “…but for the moment” came from. Meaning we can’t go out and do what we normally would right now, but here’s this bunch of music until we can!
Opening track ‘8am (The Start)’ starts with swirling synths with birds chattering in the background and vocoded refrain backwards, I think we’re going backwards, I want to show you colours, and fall into each other . Normally, I will confess, I hate vocoders – but as a reflective introduction, repeated and circular, it works well: casting a hypnotic trance that segues into the following track ‘People You’ll Love Forever’ which echoes some of the melodies as a connecting thread. ‘People You’ll Love Forever’ is a bright and sparkling track that is euphoric: a hard rock spine but with delicate melodies that create a nice contrast, with little synth interludes that fizz and bubble. The band says:
To take the pop production we love so much further into guitar music was definitely something we wanted to incorporate in this song. The whole EP was produced and recorded ourselves and this song definitely gave us a chance to have fun with adding lots of small textures and nuances to the vocals and synths.
The song itself is about the people in our lives that will always mean something to us even though we don’t always get to show it and how we like to imagine what we would have done and said different if given the opportunity to speak to them again. We hope the music in the track feels more uplifting to people than any track we’ve released before even though the lyrics are supposed to tap into that sinking feeling of nostalgia whilst written in a very conversational style.
There is a sweet romanticism in the lyrics and a joyous sparkle in the accompanying video:
Next track ‘btw i adore u’ has gut wrenching heavy metallic walls of guitars, creating a virtual nuclear blast: stuttering and malevolent stabs before launching into a high speed refrain. You really need seatbelts and a crash helmet for this; just over three minutes that pass in a blink. And if you felt you needed respite, ‘NOT ME! NOT YOU! turns up the dial to 11: a shouty screaming vocal line that a Norwegian death metal band would be proud of with an amusing quiet coda that is vocally rejected by the band before it returns to the head slamming riffs.
The EP returns to earth with the final track ‘Untouchable (Remix) – a poppy piece with its complex vocal layers and ranging chorus, underpinned by a bouncy percussion and an irrepressible spring to its step.
‘…but for the moment’ is a thundering, buoyant and monumental EP that defies labelling but creates a pulse-racing emotional roller coaster of a ride. Out through Rude Records, you can download/stream here or get straight from the band through the link below:
