Superorganism - World Wide Pop

Superorganism make maximalist pop for the terminally online. Having initially met through the Internet - exchanging demos and mixes through the ether before meeting IRL - they soon developed a reputation for being a group contained within the digital space via their adventurous self-titled debut. Follow-up ‘World Wide Pop’ is a joyously over-the-top explosion of audio technicolor, where the group embrace their oddities and eccentricities. They are bigger and brighter, and whereas their debut album was created after spending too much time online, the creation of ‘World Wide Pop’ is just the opposite, bringing an understanding of reality into the virtual stratosphere. The band have expanded their orbit with a stellar list of collaborators here, namely Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus, CHAI, and Pi Ja Ma. The soundscapes are more bombastic than ever, perfect for flashy disco raves in your spaceship as you fly off to Mars, and Orono’s signature deadpan vocal delivery is as resolute as ever. Opener ‘Black Hole Baby’ is a nihilistic number about celebrating the world ending; ‘Flying’ is an escapist ode that romanticises the fantasies of getting “lost in the hellish galaxy,” and standout ‘Put Down Your Phone’ is an ironic allegory about getting lost in your cellular device, and pondering how much better life would be if you’d just throw it into the sea. ‘World Wide Pop’ is about the joys of living in the digital ether and losing yourself in cyberspace, and the anxieties and disillusionment that comes with fame. ‘Put Down Your Phone’ may be a cautionary tale, but it’s with ‘Oh Come On’ that Orono and the gang remind themselves - and us - that it’s our IRL relationships that ultimately make everything worth it. Sure, we might be dying a little more each second that we stare at the ominous black boxes that are our cell phones. But if our phones are our one true gateway into the world of Superorganism, they really can’t be all that bad.