EP REVIEW: …but for the moment – Superlove

How would you define noise-pop? Is it the synthetic, disco freak-out of Justin Pearson’s ALL LEATHER? Perhaps it’s the combination of metallic riffs, dance beats and ever so slightly autotuned vocals on BRING ME THE HORIZON’s latest album. Maybe it’s a co-headline tour between MERZBOW and CARLY RAE JEPSON (a guaranteed money-maker, let’s be honest). It’s a pertinent question because Bristol three-piece SUPERLOVE also seem to have no idea quite how this should sound.

…but for the moment is bristling with ideas and energy, and never fully falls off the rails. Nor does it ever feel completely cohesive.

The People You’ll Love Forever is straight pop-punk, leaning into early-90s emo with some of the guitar work through the chorus. Electronic influences pepper some of the vocals throughout, and the production is top-notch, sitting at the top-end of that lo-fi, bedroom feel. It transitions into the metallic, chunky intro of btw! I Adore You, which constantly verves between the heavier segments and a more pop-influenced vocal style.

It’s something akin to BRING ME THE HORIZON’s amo, hardly setting the world alight but never feeling too derivative. Staying just the right side of ‘bad noise-pop’, largely defined as anything that involved 3OH!3 or any band that called themselves ‘crunk’. Not Me! Not You! gets close enough to the wrong side of tracks to cause concern. It’s a little snotty and there’s a definite BROKENCYDE feel at parts, but there’s also an earnestness here that saves SUPERLOVE whenever they get a little self-indulgent.

Bringing things to a close is a remix of Untouchable, the final track of their previous EP. This is straight pop music and one of the best on the release. SUPERLOVE have an innate talent for catchy hooks and when they let this side free, it’s hard not to get caught up in the moment.

It’s only when they introduce the more metallic sounding inspirations that things get wobbly. The band said they wanted to experiment more on this album, but at times it’s a scattergun approach that neither endears you to the band nor makes you want to relisten.

There’s plenty to be excited about here. Big choruses, emotive lyrics, massive hooks. SUPERLOVE have bags of potential, they’re just still looking for the best way to explore that.

Rating: 6/10

…but for the moment is out now via Rude Records

Like SUPERLOVE on Facebook