The story behind how band members meet is typically an interesting topic of conversation when they are interviewed for a press release. This is no exception with Superorganism, as their story is incredibly unique, much like their dynamic brand of music. The group consists of eight members, spanning the globe from England, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. A large portion of the group met and formed a band called The Eversons, with now-lead vocalist Orono Noguchi finding the group from her YouTube recommends playlist, only to later submit vocals to an Eversons’ demo that the group collectively loved. With that, Superorganism relocated to London, England to form the majority of their debut, self-titled album.
With a recent stamp of approval from Sir Elton John himself and a shiny new record contract with Domino Records, Superorganism have crafted one of the strangest and mesmerizing debut albums to come out in quite some time. Featuring a blend of samples, programmed beats, heavy synths, and delicate vocals from Noguchi, the group is quickly making a name for themselves.
Since Superorganism are so difficult to categorize, it makes sense for them to name themselves after a group of organisms that depend on each other for survival. With the eight members that make up the group, all of their unique backgrounds and musical influences are heard in some capacity in this debut, meshing into one big slab of electronic indie-pop. Their first released single, “Something For Your M.I.N.D.” was prominently featured in the latest FIFA soccer video game soundtrack, and is a trippy slice of sounds catchy enough to get stuck in your head for days.
Other tracks on here, such as “The Prawn Song” with its hip-hop beat and near-rapped vocals from Noguchi, sounds like something Weezer would love to get their hands on. All of these sounds build up to a fun and bouncy chorus of “I’m happy just being a prawn” that clearly shows that these group of musicians could care less about fitting in with the status quo. Instead, Superorganism would much rather that you move along to the beat and absorb the vibes being put out from the record.
What makes this album so much damn fun is how modern they sound, without even trying to be. It’s almost as if their approach to songwriting is finding fun sounds, samples, and riffs to build around a basic pop song structure. Even though these sounds are at times random, if not surprising, the album is still a cohesive work of art that tells a unique story from start to finish. Somehow, it all works out just fine and by the time you navigate your way the final track “Night Time,” you are already mapping out time for your next spin of this great record. It’s Superorganism’s world, and we’re all just living in it.