It takes a village to raise a song

Fittingly, my debut review is Superorganism’s self-titled debut album, released at the beginning of March. Superorganism is a band formed by bonding over memes and Skype rehearsals. Seven of their eight members currently reside in East London with eighth member, Soul, living in Sydney.

In group photos they use a large cut-out of Soul’s face. The band’s mix of nationalities and backgrounds shines through in these 10 songs championed by Domino Records. The album provides 33 minutes of gloriously eclectic motifs, unusual soundbites and meticulous lyrics. (“Oh, have you ever woke up from a daydream / And realised that the world’s gone crazy? / You people are all the same / Going blah blah blah, going bang bang bang”).

My main issue with this album is its bitty nature, the overwhelming use of fragmented samples in places can make for frustrating listening. I can’t help but think that if ‘Nai’s March’ was to come on during your Spotify shuffle it would be skipped, not enjoyed. That being said, the album flows well from start to finish with the most notable tracks being ‘Night Time’ and the singles ‘Everybody Wants to Be Famous’ and ‘Something For Your M.I.N.D’, where the immersive sounds pull through.

“Superorganism is a band formed from bonding over memes and Skype rehearsals”

Whilst the dreamy tones and quirkiness go part way to making up for the lack of depth, it is far from revolutionary and I personally believe it could have been curated slightly more carefully to give it that edge and storyline.

I can imagine what a magnificently energetic live gig this would be, an 8-piece trying to groove their way onto the indie/psychedelic pop scene. You can find them in London, following their 17-date North American Tour, on 25th May. A fitting soundtrack to welcome in Spring and the festival season.

SUPERORGANISM

Artist: Superorganism. Label: Domino. Top Tracks: Night Time; Everybody Wants to Be Famous; Something For Your M.I.N.D.. For Fans Of: Superfood; Bad Sounds. 33 minutes