Superorganism – Superorganism Album Review
Early 2017 saw the formation of the new indie-pop group Superorganism that sought to add their own personal flavor to the genre. Over the past few months, Superorganism has released a couple sample tracks to tease the vibe of their upcoming debut, Superorganism. These singles were a mix of pop-synth strings and avant-garde style production. Their unique style was highlighted through these singles, as well as their debut self-titled album. Superorganism's breakout project is full of great moments but makes it clear that the group has much to improve upon.
What stood out the most on Superorganism’s singles leading up to their debut was the unique production style and the vocal delivery of Orono Noguchi. Noguchi’s vocals have a very reserved tone to them and help compliment the avant-garde production style. The lyrics on songs like “Something for Your M.I.N.D.” and “SPRORGNSM” border on the abstract. These lines help give purpose to some of the weirder aspects of the production.
Although Superorganism is filled with great ideas and lyric choices, it’s not as organized or refined as it could be. There is no real rhyme or reason to the lyrical choices throughout the album, making them no more than demos of what the group is capable of. It’s clear throughout the album’s ten tracks that there isn’t much depth in lyrical content, nor is there any overall thematic meaning. This can be forgiven because of Superorganism being the band’s first full-length project and they are still trying to land on a style that works the best for them. Superorganism works for what it is: a taste of what’s to come in the bands future.
Superorganism’s production works both for and against the album as a whole. On one hand, the unique poppy synth tracks and clever sampling throughout make for an enjoyable listen. Every track isn’t bound to a solid song structure, with the band frequently switching it up and trying something new. On the other hand, these decisions lead to the album being disjointed, with some songs having several instrumental switches throughout each. These instrumental switches should be spaced out more to give each instrumental section room to breathe. Also, a majority of the tracks use the same type of instrumentation with little variation. Although these moments can be enjoyable, the problem lies with the fact that this is present on almost every song on the album. Because of this, the project as a whole begins to sound repetitive. A majority of the songs on the album have an upbeat vibe to them. The band’s upbeat attitude is further exemplified by the production on the album, but it would have been nice to see a more tonal variation on the album. The instrumental choices made by Superorganism make the album one note.
After ten tracks, it’s clear that Superorganism is on to something. From Orono Noguchi’s somber vocal delivery to the lush and upbeat instrumentation, Superorganism has a lot that works. Unfortunately, because of a lack of variety and some jarring instrumental switches, the album isn’t as tight as it could be. As a debut project, Superorganism works to show off the band’s potential to create an impactful indie-pop album in the future.
Rating: 7/10
Zach Hall is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zth5043@psu.edu.
