[8/10]
Following a packed year of touring, festivals and the release of their Mam EP, Superfood have quickly established themselves and honed a sound that’s wrapped in bass-funk and Britpop nostalgia.
Don’t Say That opens with ‘Lily For Your Pad To Rest On’, a track that leapfrogs you into their nineties revival, via the guidance of groovy and exotic guitar riffs, along with a bundle of Superfood infamous harmonies. ‘You Can Believe’ sticks out for all the right reasons and is possibly one of the best on the album (despite the difficulty of picking a favourite amongst such a delightful collective). The track sees front man Dom Ganderton cry out “Forget what you know and forget what you’re told” over short but sweet guitar plucks and airy backing ‘aahs’. Crafting such catchy tracks, it’s clear to see that their music suits their label, as it truly is Infectious.
Golden oldies ‘Superfood’, ‘TV’ and ‘Melting’ all mark their spots on the 13 track album and remind us of exactly how their cooing melodies and repetitive choruses enticed us in. With the uncomplicated and slacker feel to these earlier songs, it’s clear to see that the band’s journey so far has been one of spontaneity and not a mapped out solid plan that they take too seriously. Their sense of a carefree lifestyle and youthful exuberance has leaked through into each track and details exactly how every track sounds like a teen anthem or could be the theme tune to a show like ‘My Mad Fat Diary’.
New single ‘Mood Bomb’, demonstrates their progression as writers and musicians throughout the past year. It kicks off with jangly guitar licks and eases through a deep bass line before spouting out lyrics like ‘the floor is just an empty space/a wooden place to stretch out and lie down’ that appear again throughout the track. The contagious chrorus sees Ganderton cry ‘open up your eyes/let the sun inside’ before he yells ‘Everybody’ and the fuzzy, yet sparkly chorus riff enters.
‘Pallasades’ possibly takes a nod to Birmingham’s shopping centre, whilst ‘It’s Good To See You’ is a track simply about being happy and joyful. Album closer ‘Like A Daisy’ tails off with a slight reflective and ballad feel.
Title track ‘Don’t Say That’ reeks of moodiness with Ganderton’s low and sultry vocals, over Emily Baker’s thick and rumbling bass line. But being a band based predominately around playfulness, the jangly guitars and melodic backing vocals “Tell me if you want me to go home” pick up the tone, even if the lyrics deliver a melancholic theme. Past single ‘Right On Satellite’ connects heavy drums and bass and gives the sense that these tracks could be played in a huge festival or stadium setting or just live in a mate’s shoddy garage.
For a debut, the album is immaculately structured with every detail being cleanly constructed. The order of the songs is even clearly thought through with each track gently leading into one another with the assistance of two instrumental interludes. It’s plain to see how talented Ganderton is, not only as a musician, but as a producer (he produced early demos for Peace and Swim Deep).
Yet to have put a note out of place, it was inevitable that Superfood’s debut was going to be one of 2014’s gems.
The album is out now on Infectious Records.
