Art pop group James Supercave don’t have any albums out yet, but they’ve been widely praised their live performances and incredibly danceable tunes. This LA quintet is likely going on tour with War Paint this Spring. “The Right Thing” is a rolling, confident break out song off of their first EP, which will be released in late March. Supercave combines mid-20th century rhythms with head-bobbing melody and dynamic vocals.
Nasal, oddly toned vocals introduce the album, which combined with a slower beat, feels like something out of a film from the late 50s or early 60s (“Love me like a memory is all you’re gonna get”, the singer croons, for example). From there, the music moves into a fast-paced, rhythm-heavy pop song. The vocals become falsetto at 30 seconds which is surprisingly endearing, reminiscent of Klaus Nomi, and threading back to the 50s-60s vibe. Guitar and heavy bass break in at the one minute mark, giving the listener just a taste of garage.
The track reverts quickly back to the opening motif, to which I found myself bobbing my head. The verse blends into a slow middle section where the singer repetitively despairs: “There’s no one left. . . there’s no one left to see our plot unfold.” While the band doesn’t necessarily traverse into novel territory sound wise, they do, in the spirit of art rock toss in some high pitched violin at the end, both unexpected and even a bit sentimental. The vocals could verge on irritating, but the singer follows the rhythm too well. This song makes a lot of moves, some a bit risky, but blends it all together surprisingly well.
Listen to “The Right Thing” below and look out for James Supercave’s EP:
