Stuporhero
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Stuporhero

Seattle, Washington, United States

Seattle, Washington, United States
Band Pop Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Planet Seattle"

June 2007
NPR's Open Mic

Stuporhero get their rock 'n' roll power from the planet of Seattle. Their sound is too poppy to be grunge and too adorably lo-fi to be pop. Tired of being a boy/girl duo band compared to the White Stripes or Mates of State, Jen Garrett and Will Troy enlisted a third member. Enter Chuckles.

Whether sitting behind a drumkit or standing behind a department store window, Chuckles, a plastic boy-wonder sidekick to be reckoned with, is a wonderfully kitsch MacGuffin for this "fuzzpopilicious" band.

With songs about super balls, death robots, and the dubiously anthematic "Punk Like You," Stuporhero's latest album, Last Star Shining, is perfect driving music… if you're driving the Batmobile.
- NPR


"It Would Be Nice To Wake Up"

May 2006

It Would Be Nice To Wake Up and find Stuporhero in your kitchen, frying eggs and singing a cappella versions of their debut album's delicious pop-rock. Maybe "Bill the Bookworm" or "Little Dipper", songs that bring to mind early-'90s college-radio jams prizing fuzz over perfection, quirky narratives over predictable verse-chorus-repeat. It would be also cool to chill with a husband and wife who are never without honorary third member, Chuckles, a thrift-store mannequin that seems to be an integral part of their oh-so-appealing sound. If the TV show Today's Special freaked you out, this might be one to miss. Otherwise, it's probably just as nice to spend the night with Stuporhero.
- Salt Lake City Weekly


"Stupor-pendous"

June 2007
allmusic.com
4.5 stars!

The Seattle duo (and their mannequin drummer) return with another slew of stupor-pendous songs on Last Star Shining, the pair's sophomore set. Across sixteen tracks and a hidden number, Jen Garrett and Will Troy's breezy, iridescent, not quite lo-fi, music shines bright.

Where to start? How about towards the middle with the duo's joie de vivre laced cover of Cat Stevens' "If You Want to Sing Out", a song brimming with cheer and delivered up in the airiest punkrock style imaginable, think feather-weight Ramones. The set's other cover, a fabulous take on The Flaming Lip's "You Have to be Joking", is even more inspired, crashing Who-esque power chords straight into twangy country guitar.

Even more impressive is "Solarium", which beautifully evokes proggy hardrock, whilst remaining as gentle as a lamb. "Prisoners of War", in contrast, is a hoot, hitting just about every hardrock-progrock-jazz fusion touchstone in under a minute and a half. The majestic "Lobotomy Hill", meanwhile, captures the epic heights of orchestral 60s rock in even shorter time. As for the acid-drenched hidden track with it's repeated refrain of "Let your freak flag fly," it perfectly recreates and subverts psychedelia in all its glory.

At their core, though, Stuporhero are pop fans, and there's a slew of unadulterated, flawless poppers within, with the top of this reviewer's pops the exuberantly bouncy "Superball" and the harmony-laced, synth-spaced "Deathbot".

Both numbers end in heart-break, with the latter a real hankie grabber, while the giddy "Chasing Fireflies", echoes of the pleasures of childhood, but whirls with darker hadows.

Yearning for the past, worried for the future, even a "21 Beer Salute" hints that rarely does all end well. But the 'heros bright music, gentle atmospheres, and sweet vocals infuse even the saddest tales with a tinge of hope, and if not, move one to dance along until happiness finally arrives. - Jo-Ann Greene


"Mannequins are actually better drummers than robots"

With song titles that include references to flying discs, superballs, and yo-yos, it should be abundantly clear that Seattle-based Stuporhero don't mind having a bit of fun. The duo of Jen Garrett and Will Troy, along with their drummer Chuckles, inject a good amount of playful energy into the fuzzy, poppy tracks without crossing into any unnecessarily cheesy territory or hyper-obnoxiousness—what I'm trying to say is that it's playful and poppy in a good way that won't make you want to puke.
Stuporhero do explore a mellower sound on the album, particularly during the latter half of Last Star Shining, but it really doesn't compare to the earlier tracks, particularly their fuzzed-out rendition of Cat Stevens's "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" which, at its location as the ninth of sixteen tracks, pretty clearly marks the end of the energetic half of the album and makes way for the mellower sounds.

Before I end this review, I guess I should mention that Chuckles, the drummer, is in fact a mannequin and proves, once and for all, that mannequins are actually better drummers than robots. As if there was any doubt about that. PhiLL Ramey
- thephiller.com


"Give this band some of your attention"

Jen Garrett's voice reminds me of early Liz Phair (sexy), and Will Troy's voice, Matt Sharp of the Rentals. Together they sound like Pretty. Less spastic than The Dalmations. More pubic hair than Tilly and the Wall. Give this band some of your attention. Thank you.

RATING: FIVE STARS

- Tastes Like Chicken


"A few choice quotes"

Stuporhero's latest effort, Last Star Shining, is a collection of 16 exuberantly peppy pop melodies, jangly guitars and hopelessly endearing lyrics.
Flagpole (8/07)

...Last Star Shining is quite stunning to listen to.
PopMatters (8/07)

It’s like they take Wire and the Minutemen, keep the boiled intensity, but add in disparate, ghostly, mad dash pop tendencies...
Left of the Dial Mag (6/07)

'Zombies on Parade' from the debut CD by local pop outfit Stuporhero is one of the best songs of 2006.
Abe Beeson, KEXP (12/06) - Misc.


"Stupefied grin"

The (alleged) Seattle trio Stuporhero is back on the scene with its sophomore album, Last Star Shining. Comprised of Will Troy (guitar, vocals), Jen Garrett (bass, vocals), and an apparent third member, “Chuckles” (the John Bonham-obsessed female mannequin drummer), this pop-punk indulgence produces quick and catchy tunes. Reminiscent of ‘90s experimental punk classic Neutral Milk Hotel, Stuporhero adds a refreshing and underlying Nerf Herder-esque humor that says, “We don’t take ourselves that seriously.”

This buoyant treat will soon become summer’s not-so-guilty pleasure; after running through all 16 tracks (plus one surprising hidden bonus), the listener is left with little more than a stupefied grin. Though not purely lyrically driven, the album’s narrative adds an almost contradictory comic depth. Last Star Shining opens with “Flying Discs,” which, though lasting only 41 seconds, introduces the listener to the album in a way that appropriately depicts what lies ahead.

The track is upbeat, the extraterrestrial metaphor potentially digging deeper into the human psyche: “Believe what you want but believe your own eyes.” Tracks such as “Superball” tell of the never-ending perils of the bouncy ball, yet maintain some thought-provoking morals. “5 O’clock Mad Dash” is set to yet another cheerful tone, but describes the “feeding frenzy” that “divides us each into separate parts” as the work day comes to a close.

The fuzz guitar and intriguing arrangements of Last Star Shining are unique and familiar at the same time. Both the Cat Stevens and The Flaming Lips covers (“If You Want To Sing Out” and “You Have to be Joking,” respectively) pay homage to the original songs with a quintessential Stuporhero twist.

Poised to bridge the pop/punk gap, the dynamic duo and mannequin sidekick revitalize experimental indie with a much needed — and perhaps overdue — twist.

-Jen Utley
- West Coast Performer Magazine


"Hook-laden"

In their fourth band together, Jen Garrett and Will Troy of Stuporhero give us Last Star Shining, a collection of yet another 16 tracks from a classic indie-pop duo (trio, actually, if you count their mannequin drummer, Chuckles). Well-practiced and well-versed in the art of fuzz and wit, this latest offering comes packed with vocal melodies as hook-laden as the Ballard locks when the salmon run ("Lobotomy Hill", "Chasing Fireflies") and power-chord distortion as fuzzed as a cat lady's sofa (title track, "Superball").
-Joseph Riippi - Seattle Sound Magazine


"Addictive Pop Confection"

Stuporhero’s lovely new album Weightless consists of nine charming, skillfully arranged, concise little pop songs featuring acoustic guitar, piano, synth generated strings and horns, handclaps, kazoo, and male/female vocal counterpoint. There’s less than 20 minutes of music in total but it’s mostly compelling (the final track is a bit of a throw-away since it plays backwards, although it does have a nice ambiance consistent with the overall feel of the record) ranging in mood from giddy to melancholic to pensive to dreamy and it holds together well like a modest, scaled down Pet Sounds or In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. This also reminds me of the softer side of The Vaselines and should appeal to fans of twee and indie-pop.

The whole album is available as a free download at stuporheromusic. Go check it out but be warned: you may find this sweet little pop confection quite addictive. - Seattle Powerpop


Discography

*Weightless, LP, July 2008*
Last Star Shining, LP, August 2007
The Lonesome Call of the Whprwhil, Compilation, 2007
It Would Be Nice To Wake Up, LP, 2006

Photos

Bio

Stuporhero, delivered to you from Seattle, WA, broke into the pop scene in 2005 with their debut album, It Would Be Nice To Wake Up. The band's sophomore release, Last Star Shining, fused Jen and Will's bright harmonies and fuzz-laden guitars to create another collection of ultra-catchy gems. Their latest album, Weightless, is boiling over with effervescent sing-a-longs and somber melodies. As a duo with a rumored third member made of plastic, Stuporhero have been cheered for their ability to “take the indie-rock duo ‘awww’ factor to 11.” Their lo-fi formula also has plenty of goodness for fans of Neutral Milk Hotel and Guided By Voices. With stand out tracks like 'There Goes The Rainbow, Baby' and 'Welcome Wagon' the music of Stuporhero brings an enticing punk-tinged mirthful sound to the indie pop landscape.

Will and Jen started writing and arranging songs they had floating around in early 2005. In July of that year they recorded their debut, It Would Be Nice To Wake Up, with their friend Chad Yenney at Earth To Emma studios. The group started playing live in November of 2005, and at their first show ever, opened for The High Dials. Following a few more shows and some good reviews of the album, released May 2006, Stuporhero took their act on the road on a Western US tour.

During the beginning of 2006, the band began crafting new material and recorded about forty rough mixes of songs in their basement. They ended up recording about twenty of those songs in August of that same year, again at Earth to Emma Studios. Will and Jen did some additional recording and editing in their basement over the next six months and eventually decided on the sixteen tracks for their sophomore album, Last Star Shining, released August 2007. The album received critical acclaim and charted on radio stations across the US and Canada, getting spins at college and other public stations, as well as on nationally syndicated programs. Stuporhero also played a NXNE showcase, were featured on NPR's Open Mic, and embarked on their first nationwide tour.

While working up a set of songs to play on tour, the band was motivated to begin recording a new collection of acoustic inspired songs. The end result is their newest release, Weightless, available as a free download via the band's website www.stuporheromusic.com.

The band is currently in the studio writing and recording new material.

Songs on Weightless, Last Star Shining, and It Would Be Nice To Wake Up were all mixed by Chad at Earth To Emma Studios, produced by Chad and Stuporhero, and mastered at Golden Mastering. All cd covers were designed by Vladimir Verano at Natsu Design.