"I'll put a spell on you..."
Irish divergent indie rock outfit Super Extra Bonus Party drop the rambling psychedelic avant rock / post punk twister "The Corpse", the first track to be released from their upcoming album "Late Nite 99" due to drop on September 29th, 2023. The sonics here are lovely and a bit sideways, part Scottish Jig, part Irish drinking song, part late 70's proto punk and 80's new wave I couldn't help but think of an amalgam of iconic artists like Magazine, XTC, Orange Juice. I am totally digging the the urgent groove, falling bass line breaks, pulsating electronica, jagged and beautifully funky guitar jags and the embracing, compelling vox.
About "The Corpse", Stephen Fahey (who for the first time has lead vocal duties) says “the track is about stuff that affects all of us at some point I think: burnout, making promises you can’t follow through on, frustration with yourself as a result, trying to get other people to change to suit you as opposed to taking the responsibility on yourself - trying to give as much as possible but not in a conscious way.”
Fucking cool.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2vNhor4l4ROmDGxhW7j1Fh
Super Extra Bonus Party have been on hiatus since 2010. Their story is an interesting one: childhood friends Cormac Brady and Mike Donnelly (electronics) decide to expand their existing musical palette by adding Stephen Fahey (bass/brass/vocals) to their ranks and begin working on music in earnest. Gavin Elsted (guitar/vocals) sees them at an open mic night in their shared hometown of Newbridge and begs his way in to the band. The foursome continue writing songs and the bones of an album form. Fleshed out by contributions from guest vocalists, in particular Brazilian MC and long-term live member Rodrigo Teles, they complete their album with 30 mins to spare before their mastering session. Super Extra Bonus Party is released and the band, at this stage solidified with Stephen Conlan (guitar) and Gary Clarke (drums), start touring Ireland, bringing their hi-octane ‘jump up electronica’ to ever increasing crowds. They are nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish album of the year in 2007 and appear at the award ceremony in the middle of an Irish tour, delighted that their work had even been recognised by their peers. They win the prize.
After the hangovers subside, the band get back to business. Recording sessions in houses in rural Waterford and leafy Terenure form the basis of a new album. International guests join the homegrown talent on the record, called Night Horses after some hoofed nocturnal wing-mirror vandals from a neighbouring field in Ardmore. The record is released and the band play shows all over, including a trip to CMJ in NYC where every member of the band buys a new pair of jeans the first day. No shit, check the photos if you don’t believe me. Where was I? Oh yeah. Gradually, life gets in the way. External pressures being what they are, amicably and sadly after one last hurrah in a field in Mitchelstown in 2010, the band bow out.
Friendship is what kept the members bound through the intervening seven years; through new bands, solo acts, marriages, children, work, play - there was always something percolating. Finally, in late 2014, the decision was made to dust off the pilot costumes and take to the stages yet again. Rather than just trade on nostalgia, the band decided to not emerge until they had new music to present to the world. Super Extra Bonus Party have returned from hiatus in 2018. Purple Heart and Switzerland are their opening shots.
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