With a name like
this, you’d expect the band to be all manner of cool – a
funk rock pop-punk electro crossover hip act. The
Supahip aren’t any of that though; instead, this
is ultra-refined power pop.
The combination of the voices of Michael
Carpenter and Mark Moldre, the Sydney-based
producer and Hitchcock’s Revenge member respectively,
is nothing short of delightful. Whilst the
decision to back the twelve songs with ten
mono versions may seem, well, more than a little
odd, perhaps it’s an ode to Pet Sounds,
which these days comes in a similar format.
The pair spent little time over-thinking Seize
the World, with the goal being to record
and mix a track every day – the result being
that this debut album for the Supahip project
came together over the course of thirteen
days spread over fourteen months. The spontaneity
can be heard in such gems as “Something’s
Gotta Give”.
What is certain is that Seize the World is
bursting with ideas – there’s indie rock here,
a ruminative country crooner there, and the
occasional ballad thrown in for good measure.
But, mostly, this is very clever and very tight
power pop with extra layers of production trickery
from Carpenter, who is quite clearly not just
a master craftsman but a songwriter of some
repute.
