Superfamily

Propeller Recordings signed them up in the men’s bathroom at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo, one cold winter day in February 2004. The same year they delivered the 4 track ‘Champagne EP’. The lead song ‘Back in Style’ recalled prime time Rocket to the Crypt, ‘Sulfur Heart’ mirrored the slacker-rock of Dinosaur Jnr; ‘Ugly Bugly’ comes on like the organ heavy psychedelia of 13th Floor Elevators, whereas ‘Shitfuck’ must be one of the most radio un-friendly songs ever recorded. The band’s debut album, 2005’s ‘Back in Paris’, was no less ambitious. Tracks like ‘I Don’t Remember a Thing’ come with heavy acid rock riffs straight from a ‘Nuggets’ compilation, whilst elsewhere on ‘Windows’ and ‘Taxi Dancing’, there are traces of Echo & the Bunnymen and The Cure, which point to the direction of their 2007 release: ‘Warszawa’. (which earned a Norwegian Grammy)

‘Warszawa’ is also a David Bowie title, from which Joy Division’s original incarnation Warsaw took their name. The icy cold synths of opening track ‘In the Night’ hint at Bowie’s ‘Low’ or JD’s ‘Closer’, yet the chorus is worthy of the rather less cool bands Simple Minds or Ultravox. Whilst instant credibility and perhaps common sense would dictate that we focus on the innovative production rather than the poppier elements throughout ‘Warszawa’, there’s still no denying that ‘I Could Be a Winner’ sounds like it belongs on the closing credits of an 80s John Hughes movie, where the popular guy dumps the beauty queen for the screwed-up girl who he then takes to the prom.

2009 is the year of the new Superfamily album, due out in August. And the first singel will be released early May, and will be presented here as soon as it has been released.