Forming in the childhood bedrooms of members Harry Atkinson and Jake Hughes, Superfriends have shared stages with some of the best political and punk-influenced indie that the UK has to offer, including Slash Fiction, Fightmilk and ME REX. Debut King Of The Moths has many twists and turns, and it’s no wonder Netflix featured their song ‘Blimpy Boy’ in the offbeat adult animation series Exploding Kittens.
Now a fully-fledged four-piece adding Matt Johnson and Mark Riley to the lineup, Superfriends have established themselves as a staple in the diverse UK scene, especially if their latest album is anything to go on.
“Their dedication to creating a conceptual piece is nothing short of spectacular-especially for a band that pride themselves on DIY ethics”
Opening their entomology juggernaut with the cosy intro track ‘Lepidopterans’, their raw energy and sheer musicianship are undeniable, and despite the album’s core themes being that of despair and anguish, their dedication to creating a conceptual piece that’s filled with metaphors and a devotion to the beauty of the natural world is nothing short of spectacular, especially for a band that pride themselves on DIY ethics and production that may not be the most polished but is undeniably real.
Another core theme of this project is metamorphism, change, new beginnings, and transitioning from your late twenties into your early thirties, which are arguably the most prevalent themes throughout King of the Moths (who is described by the band as being the chaos of modern life and the forgotten junk decaying in a corner), but the standout on this release is definitely the matter of fact lyricism that’s poetic yet starkly realistic. The scrappy musical chaos may be similar in tone to a Jeff Rosenstock release, but the shimmery guitars on ‘Bug Bites’ are much more reminiscent of dream pop or even shoegaze; think artists like Alvvays, Slowdive, or Melody’s Echo Chamber. The melodies are memorable, especially on the gut-wrenching closer ‘I’m High And All I Wanna Do Is Hold You’ which on first listen may just sound like a simple breakup track, but the deeply personal lyrics hit you like a punch in the gut and it’s abundantly clear how intimate Atkinson and Hughes’s writing is.
Superfriends really hit the nail on the head when they described King Of The Moths as being the sound of a band metamorphosing into something older, tougher, and weirder. The music is still catchy, the vocal hooks are accessible, but the frantic lyrical content is what sets the Brighton & Hove quartet apart from many of their contemporaries. Is this album the best listen if you’re not doing great mentally and you long for the person that you used to be? Possibly not. But if you need a good mope and a good scream, there’s no doubt that Superfriends have you covered.