Safe Suburban Home present another superb track, this time, Superlove. Who are they? Read and have a listen.
Safe Suburban Home are part of the Grafter family that’s for sure. They are the definition of a Do. It. Yourself label. There is a genuine personal touch into everything they do. And they create music that is so atmospheric and in-tune with life at the moment. You can’t help but love it. And in the latest release from SSH, we have Malta-born, Berlin-based indie duo, Superlove. Set to release ‘Jarvis, Put The Record On/Me and My 909’ on the 7th August. All part of SSH cassette series, that you should indeed check out.
Daniel Borg and Alexandra Aquilina make-up the band. A truly “underground artist” fitting with the labels mission to “uncover and expose” these yet unknown songwriters. The latest song, ‘Jarvis Put The Record On’ is inspired by “a chance encounter with Pulp legend Jarvis Cocker’. As Borg explains, “In our first year in Berlin we had tried to get tickets for a screening of Life, Death and Supermarkets, but tickets sold-out too fast.” So, as a hope to get into the Q&A and afterparty they “chanced it anyway.” So, they just happened to meet Jarvis himself, avoiding the actual screening. So being “such a funny and down to earth guy” it “never left our memories”.
The pen to paper song is in hope that he will one day hear it “and crack out another album”. This duo sure knows how to make it work. Created on a “cheap Casio Keyboard” bought from a second-hand shop. With influences embedded in “Pavement, Belle and Sebastian, Mac DeMarco and of course, Pulp”. The duo sure are quirky, the song itself has a preppy electronic atmosphere which transports you back to 1980s Aha. With layers of vocals that echo throughout the lyrics there is a key ear for storytelling. Something that you just don’t get anymore.
There isn’t anything fancy to the song. It’s a good track. It doesn’t try to explain anything about life at the moment. Instead it takes the listener through two people’s story of one superb night. I don’t think music really does this anymore. It's constantly trying to prove something or explain and issue to someone. With an obvious lo-fi atmosphere, it’s California surfer vibes throughout with a touch of Berlin eccentricity. The vocals provide a touch of delicateness, you clearly hear their accent in a rustic poetic way.
You could quite easily have this song on repeat during the hot summer days. As if you are at a classic 80s club night, except this time, without all the drunk mums dancing away. It is a track made for now that I could easily hear, being played again and again ten years’ from now.
Now, the B-side, starting off as a classic 90s grungy tune. The tone from the voices create an almost space psychedelia that presents a smooth wave to your ear throughout. No surprise when the song was recorded in one take, there is a beauty to it. A softening feel with such a basic beat there is a clear vibe to the song. One that makes you want to chill back and relax it is that slowed down. Instantly reminding me of ‘Sweetness and Light’ by Lush or The Revolving Paint Dream’s ‘Flowers In The Sky’. It is still very modern and clearly aimed to make the most of the TR909 drum machine. I think that has been more than successfully achieved.
Now, I can write all day about this duo. They are superb. There is an indie sweetness that I love. With a laid-back California surfer feel that has touches of Berlin infused tones to the lyrics. They don’t lose sight of why they are creating their songs. They are born surrounded by creativity, that’s obvious. They are tracks that to get the most out of you need to be in the presence of these two musicians. Or, listen on a physical piece of music. There is quite nothing like having a tangible object that is filled with fantastical sounds.
These two songs show just a slight fraction of what these two musicians can do. Personally, I am excited to hear what the future holds. It’s not everyday when you come across musicians whose music doesn’t need an explanation. It is there. It’s all in the dreamy vocals, the sounds which transport you through the 1980s up to the present day. The music has a fantasy story feel. Where you understand the lyrics are just as personal as what inspired them. Yet, it doesn’t need the pop charts. Music that is better than pop charts shouldn’t be on pop charts. It puts them in a league of their own. The tone from the voices isn’t polished or fertilised into Western Americanisation where you find a lot of artists create a finished tone. Something that removes the intimacy. That’s not like Superlove. The key is in the duos name. They are full of love. And that is all in the songs.
I highly recommend you check out these two tracks. They are simply full of dreamy indie surfer sounds. And, in regard to Safe Suburban Home. Well, they are Grafter’s current favourite DIY record label, and that isn’t changing any time soon. They are full of amazing young underground musicians who need supporting. And thankfully, it’s the small team behind SSH who are doing it. The best thing about music is the fact we haven’t discovered it all yet. Yes, music today has a lot of links to the past. So what? That’s what makes it amazing. There are some amazing underground artists around. And not artists with 10,000 followers. Those with 200, 300 or 1,000. All of whom need the recognition. Artists like Superlove who create great music. Music that they love, made for themselves.
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