Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Super City, Nice Person Records 2019.
This album is my first encounter with Baltimore band Super City and my initial reaction is one of confusion.
Why haven’t I heard of them before now?
They are a strange mix of pop and heavy rock mixed with the musical and lyrical creativeness of Franz Ferdinand, Sparks, Weezer and maybe 10CC.
In fact, the opening title track to Sanctuary could slot into almost any of these bands’ albums and be perfectly at home. There’s that level of cleverness and sophistication.
Super City is comprised of Dan Ryan (guitar and lead vocals), Greg Wellham (guitar and lead vocals), Brian Brunsman (bass & vocals), Jon Birkholz (guitar, keys, vocals) and Ian Viera (drums & vocals).
They are very skillful in creating wonderful pop tunes that are laden with hooks that work their way into your brain.
The term earworm must have been concocted to describe this outfit.
There is no down time on the album. It’s as if each track has been crafted to be a single.
There are unusual intros and strange addendums that somehow add the final touch that completes the feel of the track.
It’s been some time since I’ve come across a pop release that has hooked me in so completely, so I’ve asked myself “who are these guys?”
A brief glimpse at their web page shows that they’re into synchronised dance moves with a level of choreography that would shame many dance companies and they are fast becoming legends in the Baltimore area. But it reveals little else.
It also reveals that these boys are good musicians, and they’re unafraid to plough their own path.
There is nothing I’ve seen in the last few years that compares with them, with the possible exception of the Franz Ferdinand/Sparks album released last year.
I don’t often use the word unique but in this case I think it’s appropriate.
Above all I get a sense of a group of like-minded musicians who are having an absolute ball and taking the audience along with them.
This is another album that I’ll be buying. A download is not good enough.
