The world’s in an ever-worsening state of disrepair. It’s a situation that’s impossible to deny, and with their new record Songs in the Key of Yikes, Superchunk are once again throwing down an album that recognizes and rails against the precariousness of the current moment by just persevering in what they’ve always done well. This latest set of catchy scorchers finds the band honing a sharp, heavy power-pop edge that suits them very well. It’s available on vinyl with color variants, compact disc, and digital August 22 through Merge Records, of course.
The current recording lineup of Superchunk is guitarist-vocalist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Balance, and now, touring drummer Laura King. That’s three out of four members from the band’s heyday holding firm in the studio. Balance hasn’t toured in a while, with Betsy Wright of Ex Hex taking her place in the van. Wright lends additional vocals to “Care Less” here, as Rosali Middleman and Bella Quinlan and Holly Thomas of Quivers also guest on the album.
Opener “Is It Making You Feel Something” taps into the stream of classique melodicism that’s solidified the core of their recent output. It’s anthemic without sacrificing the smart punk verve that’s been the essence of the whole Superchunk shebang since day one. Graduates of the 1980s underground rock scene with roots spanning back to suburban hardcore (those Corrosion of Conformity t-shirts still fit very well), the band has avoided getting stale by embracing strains of songwriting that predate the mosh-pit.
The way they rev it up and soar in “Bruised Lung” is still recognizably Superchunk, and then “No Hope” picks up the tempo that’ll be perfect for pogo frenzy when they take it on tour. “Care Less” slows it down without losing the punk steam, carrying in its riffs a hint of the Undertones; the solos cinch the deal. Hilariously, the song titles: “No Hope,” “Care Less,” and “Climb the Walls” radiate like a batch of no-frills HC released by Mystic Records in the early ’80s, but the names of the tunes are more reflective of the times we’re currently enduring.
Songs like “Cue” basically blur the line between Superchunk’s punk/HC bedrock and the classic rock feel of McCaughan’s long-running side-project Portastatic, but then “Everybody Dies” roars and sprints like it could’ve been an outtake from the era of Here’s Where the Strings Come In. “Stuck in a Dream” chugs forth with touches of Descendants and Stiff Little Fingers, even, and then “Train on Fire” leans into those sneaky Springsteen-isms that McCaughan has consistently (miraculously) managed to pull off so well.
Instead of barreling forth in a punk style for the finale, “Some Green” solidifies that classique catchiness from opener “In the Middle of Something” and brings Songs in the Key of Yikes to a strong close. As a whole, the record isn’t hopeful but it does give hints that we can make it through the mess to a possibly better future by just putting heads down collectively and pushing through all the ugliness. That’s no small thing in these fucked up days.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
