ON OUR RADAR: SUPERBLOOM
Having just released their latest single ‘Smile’ earlier this month, Superbloom are on our radar this month!
INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!
Hey! We’re Superbloom - Robert James (vocals and guitars) and Sam Lidington (drums and percussion), two friends from sunny North London.
HOW DID SUPERBLOOM COME ABOUT?
Sam and I used to play at one of our local venues, The Green Room in Welwyn Garden City, in separate bands when we were kids. This was back in the day when people went out to gigs on a Tuesday night, just for fun! We had a lot of mutual friends and ended up playing in a band together. Many years and musical projects later, we started Superbloom.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC TO A POTENTIAL LISTENER?
Fundamentally, we write diverse and dynamic contemporary rock. Our music is versatile, but a coherence comes from distinct, catchy melodies, heavy riffs and vintage instrument effects.
WHAT’S THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR LATEST SINGLE, ‘SMILE’?
‘Smile’ was one of the first songs we wrote together as a band, so we were effectively starting from a blank canvas. This was a kind of inspiration in itself. We were experimenting with different sounds and writing styles, which I think is what led to the track being quite progressive. Having said that, as a vocalist I like to write catchy, hooky melodies, so hopefully it still has that sing-along feel.
IF YOU COULD SUMMARISE ‘SMILE’ IN THREE WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Progressive, dark, catchy.
‘SMILE’ IS YOUR HEAVIEST SONG SO FAR. FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF YOUR PREVIOUS SINGLE, ‘PAPER & STONE (ACOUSTIC)’, IS THIS VERSATILITY IN SOUND IMPORTANT FOR YOU AS A BAND?
Very much so. Sam and I are both influenced by a variety of different genres and styles, from heavy rock, to pop, to blues and jazz. I think this gives us a subconscious desire to be adaptable, and I hope this keeps things interesting for the listener – you never quite know what’s coming next. I personally wouldn’t want to limit myself to writing one style of music. Recording ‘Paper & Stone (Acoustic)’ was a great experience, and it’s definitely given us an urge to do more acoustic tracks.
WHAT ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU? DO YOU USE YOUR PLATFORM TO COMMUNICATE THESE?
We’re not really a preachy kind of band to be honest. Obviously we have values and opinions, but I wouldn’t say we use the band as a tool to communicate these. Not via conventional routes anyway (social media and the like).
I do tend to write lyrics about issues that are important to me. I’m not the type of singer that writes about love and heartbreak and that kind of stuff. My lyrical inspiration comes from subjects like mental health, scientific theory and the downfalls of the mainstream media. I’m not sure if that’s particularly apparent when people listen to the music, but hopefully I get some kind of message across, even if it’s subconscious.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE ALBUMS AT THE MOMENT?
This is a really tough question. I rarely get time to sit and listen to an album from start to finish nowadays. With the rise of playlisting I also think it’s a rarer thing to do in general now, which is a shame really.
Three albums I’ve listened to on repeat over the last few months are Reeling by The Mysterines, Stiff by White Denim and The Raven That Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) by Steven Wilson.
WHAT’S ONE SONG YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE WRITTEN?
Another tough one, there are so many! It’s also hard to compare songs of different styles. In terms of composition, I wish I’d written ‘Hysteria’ by Muse. I don’t listen to loads of their music, but I think that particular song is perfectly written from start to finish, and the riffs are incredible.
Another one is ‘Taro’ by alt-J. Again, in my eyes it’s more or less perfect compositionally.
WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM SUPERBLOOM IN THE FUTURE?
We’re gagging to get out and play more shows. The pandemic has really limited us in that respect, so that’s a big ambition for the rest of the year. We’ve got a few things in the pipeline, so keep an eye out for dates!
We’re also working towards the launch of our first full-length album, which we’re looking to get out at the start of next year.