“Growing tired losing everyone I knew.“
In 2013, Daylight joined the ranks of bands switching from an emo punk sound to the latest wave of grungegaze. Similar to their contemporaries Title Fight and Balance and Composure, they made a complete tonal shift. New album Jar leaned more grunge than gaze and has seen a recent resurgence, reissuing the single “Youngest Daughter”. Of course, Daylight is now Superheaven, and are cashing in by reuniting after a lengthy hiatus that began in 2016. After a pair of singles last year, their self-titled Superheaven officially marks a proper return.
Opening with “Humans for Toys”, Superheaven makes it abundantly clear that this album picks up where they left off. The lead riff brightly washes across the intro, beckoning in the first verse, featuring Jake Clarke‘s lazy vocals. Like Jar, it’s immediately stylish and catchy, and while it doesn’t break new ground, it recaptures the vibe quite well. Checking all the boxes, it quickly leads into the first single.
“A recurring sad tone,
Trembled voice shakes the room.
It’s out of my control,
Learn to let go.”
“Numb to What Is Real” follows a similar formula, with toned-down verses and a huge, booming chorus. The guitar work gets greater emphasis, both here and across the album, for the purpose of atmosphere building. Subsequent track “Cruel Times” shows this attribute, using the bridge as an example with its looping, electric riffs. While still abundantly grunge-forward, the shoegaze influences shine more strongly here compared to their previous material.
“We opened a window to a different place,
Climbed through and forgot ourselves.
We’re so past the point that we could ever be saved,
Angel from a distant hell.”
Next single and album mid-point “Long Gone” offers another stylish and catchy number. This description may sound familiar and readily applies to any given moment across Superheaven. Some tracks lose distinction from one another, with choruses providing the most reliable marker for differentiation. Given how well the style is executed, this may be a small item to criticize, but it does serve as a reminder for the fact that enjoyment of this album requires buy-in to the style as a whole. If “Humans for Toys” did not grab your attention, for instance, then neither will “Long Gone“. As a fan of the 90s nostalgia worship, this works for me just fine, but it acts as a prerequisite to enjoy.
With all that said, “Conflicted Mood” stands as the most notable pivot. A completely instrumental first minute built on a brooding guitar lick, it builds up from there. Its success partially comes from the shift from the formula, but it also stands on its own with strong sense of mood and timing. This track could offer a building block for future material and pairs well with the next song.
“Consciousness is feeling like I hit a wall,
Stop a sentence just to stare off.
Conversations have me at a loss,
I need to go,
I guess I’m running away.”
Final single “Stare at the Void” takes particular attention of the gaze aspect of grungegaze. Tracks like these help to set it apart from the Narrow Heads of the scene, keeping what made the album work so far while pushing a particular direction. While more exploration on the first half of the album could benefit, the closing section does more to keep that interest and intrigue, which helps keep the album so easily repeatable.
Closer “The Curtain” opens with probably the coolest riff on the album. Dripping with reverb, it gives way to a quieter, steadier lead, more reminiscent of the earlier tracks. However, here the focus again shifts towards atmosphere, which makes for a strong finisher. Not necessarily novel, but it helps to put a period on a thirty one minute, quick and enjoyable ride.
On the whole, Superheaven keep things relatively risk-averse on their self-titled. Part of this likely stems from it being a comeback album, wanting to show they still have it. They do, of course, and they have nailed this sound well and execute at every moment. With that said, the most interesting moments come in the variation, and given the potential pivot points, more could have been done. Still, it lands the majority of its punches where it intends to, and the final product largely impresses after 10 years gone.
7/10
Superheaven‘s self-titled album comes out this Friday, April 18th on Blue Grape Music with pre-orders available here.