It’s a rare and special thing when a band is able to exhibit such a strong identity before their debut, and identity is something that Superfood have in abundance. I’ve been waiting for their debut album since the release of their raucously brilliant track TV back in January. Don’t Say That doesn’t disappoint.
The four piece from Birmingham have more to them than first meets the eye, with frontman Dom Ganderton having produced a lot of early material for pals Swim Deep and Peace, two of Birmingham’s biggest exports since Cadbury started making chocolate.
The album’s opening track Lily For Your Pad To Rest On gives a pretty good sense of what Superfood are about – well produced pop-rock with memorable choruses and sweet guitar riffs.
It’s not until the second track that the album really picks up though; bursting into full swing with You Can Believe – an upbeat blast of jangly guitar and pop vocals which the band have made their own. And the album doesn’t lose any momentum from that point onwards.
While Superfood tend to stick to a formula of cheerful pop, there are a couple of exceptions that give the album more depth – Melting in particular has a more resigned feel than the rest of the album, as does Mood Bomb, but this just makes it clearer that they know what they’re doing.
It’s hard to imagine anyone feeling miserable while listening to Don’t Say That, and that’s exactly why Superfood are so likeable; the band aren’t afraid of pop and seem to have so much fun doing it.
Because of this, it’s impossible not to love them at least a little bit.
Don’t Say That is out on November 3 via Infectious Music.