Nostalgia does funny things to the brain – and Buffalo, NY’s Super American are hardwired to hit you with killer hooks that will make you think of all your favourite adolescent memories on the upbeat and contagious ‘Disposable’.
In fact, Super American sound like the soundtrack to my mid-teens – US college-rock that would make the commercial end of MTV’s Alternative Nation or the soundtrack of a dramatic coming-of-age film.
‘Disposable’ certainly does not feel like a modern alt-rock record; its polished hooks and glistening choruses are easily digested and future-proofed for this and every summer after. Yet it doesn’t feel dated either, despite the obvious and breezy nature of songs like ‘Feeling Better’ and ‘Congratulations’. Instead ‘Disposable’ exists in some sort of nostalgic timewarp; an anachronistic throwback that has timeless appeal.
And it’s this appeal that shines in spades. ‘Sloppy Jazz’ is, without doubt, one of the most infectious songs you’ll hear all year, it’s “na-na-na-na” refrain cementing its position as a solid gold earworm, while ‘Dearly Beloved’ swoops and soars and swoons in a manner that would make Rivers Cuomo throw down his songwriting pen in grudging admiration.
Yet for all this, ‘Disposable’ still takes me back to Third Eye Blind, Tonic, Fountains of Wayne and countless other college rock bands that litter my record collection. The beauty of such timeless songwriting is that ‘Disposable’ will have the same relevance for today’s teens as those acts had for me.
Of course, making mid-30s grown men dewy-eyed probably wasn’t what Super American were aiming for, but it’s testament to how well executed ‘Disposable’ is that it works for Millennials and today’s grumpy old men. It means ‘Disposable’ is anything but – and you need it in your life for summer.
4.5/5
‘Disposable’ by Super American is out now on Take This To Heart Records.
Super American links: Facebook |Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair)
