After spending 2024 immersed in the live re-scoring of the 1971 Australian cult classic Wake in Fright, the Naarm/Melbourne outfit Surprise Chef have turned their focus back to their own sound. Their upcoming album, ‘Superb’, out May 16 via Big Crown Records, leans into a groove-heavy, soulful feel while keeping their exciting cinematic edge.
The first taste is the just released ‘Bully Ball’, a slow-burning, piano-driven track that settles into a deep, hypnotic rhythm. There’s a locked-in groove, somewhere between a head-nod and hip-shake. Guitarist Lachlan Stuckey sums it up: “Spooky glockenspiel and wah guitar to make your chin move, heavy low-end kick drum and orchestral timpani for the extra junk in the trunk. Tempo set right at 95bpm, ideal for moving your feet without having to break a sweat. Genetically engineered to make your face scrunch up.” It leans into the rhythmic bounce of early 2000s hip-hop (think Clipse, Lil Kim’s ‘Hard Core’, and Just Blaze’s beats for Busta Rhymes.).
If Wake in Fright was all tension and claustrophobia, ‘Superb’ is about breathing room. The album was recorded live to tape in single takes, letting the looseness and raw energy shine through. Stuckey describes the shift as a conscious effort to stop overthinking:
“Superb was a real shift in process for us, and definitely illustrated how we can change our perspective to influence the outcome of a record. We take what we do pretty seriously; we care a great deal about the music we make being purposeful and meaningful. That mentality has given birth to a bunch of records we’re really proud of, but also can leave little room for spontaneity and the kind of unbridled joy that can be stifled by the levels of scrutiny we put into our work. Making Superb showed us that when we’re more relaxed during the process, we get a whole different kind of record out of it.”
That instinct for such an intense groove has been there since their 2020 debut, ‘All News Is Good News’, but ‘Superb‘ will stretch it even further. An exciting release!
Photo: Nick McKinlay
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