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You've Never Heard Of Adventures' 'Supersonic Home' But You'll Love It

Belinda Cai |
February 23, 2015 | 1:30 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

The album artwork for "Supersonic Home." (@adventurespgh/Twitter)
The album artwork for "Supersonic Home." (@adventurespgh/Twitter)
Adventures is one of those super low-profile but immeasurably talented groups that deserves to be showered with Pitchfork praise, but instead has fewer than 2,000 followers on Spotify. There is some member overlap with the slightly more well-known hardcore punk band, Code Orange.

Still, the most you’ll find on this Pittsburgh quintet is their minimalistic Tumblr and Bandcamp pages. I was pretty elated to learn that they’ve been garnering more attention lately, and that Noisey featured all of "Supersonic Home," their new album, on its site earlier this month. Listen here.

"Supersonic Home" from Run for Cover Records is Adventure’s first full-length LP and foray into 90s alt-rock territory, all the while never losing their infectious post-grunge, emo and punk influences. It’s a departure from their somewhat harder and darker stuff à la their self-titled EP and their 2013 "Clear My Head with You" EP, but it’s equally good.

It’s actually kind of a blend of the aforementioned EPs and their cheerier album, "Split," half recorded with Run Forever and half recorded with Pity Sex, a standout artist from Run for Cover Records.

This new LP is the kind of music that you can play until the end of time and never get burnt out on. Its rhythmic intricacy, catchy riffs, and backbone of bass and keys preclude any dull moments. There are so many nuances with the instrumentals and even more so with Reba Meyers’ and Kimi Hanauer’s flawlessly congruent vocals.

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These nuances were present in past tracks, such as the angst-ridden albeit subtle "I Feel So Sure," from the self-titled LP and the angstier “Promises” from the "Clear My Head with You" LP—"Break the only promises that I have made just to stay awake / To feel the pain you felt when the shape changed / Being alone is only a moments comfort when you never leave my head."

The members of Adventures. (@adventurespgh/Twitter)
The members of Adventures. (@adventurespgh/Twitter)

"Supersonic Home" as a whole is much more upbeat than their previous sound. I wasn’t sure what to think at first, but the obsession set in after a few listens. The band’s melancholic essence and honesty are by no means lost. If anything, they’re heightened, and every seemingly effervescent song has its fair share of darkness, both lyrically and instrumentally.

"Your Sweetness" was the first track to be released; it's catchy indie pop goodness wrapped around a sadder core: "The way things start always feels so inviting / The growth brings out the worst in me / Commitment against your fears / Pulled us into pieces / I pulled this into pieces."

Other softer songs include "Long Hair," "Heavenly" and "Walk You to Bed." They’re sweet but not without a raw edge. In "Long Hair," Reba sings, "You gave me your love but I think I lost it / I don’t feel it / My head’s in a cloud / But I can see it / I’m flying above you / It’s a good feeling."

The tracks that are more evocative of their rougher, punk-induced sound are "Blue Dream Haze," "Absolution, Worth Required" and "Supersonic Home." The rest of the tracks on the LP may fall somewhere in between, but seriously—every single song on "Supersonic Home" is addicting in its deliberate subtlety. 

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I hadn’t heard of Adventures until a few months ago while at a friend’s apartment, and you probably haven’t either. But don’t let that stop you from listening to a smart, multidimensional album that can probably appeal to listeners across the board.

Adventures has quickly become one of my favorite bands, if not current favorite, and I really can’t stop listening to "Supersonic Home." What can I say—I’m a sucker for a combination of craftfully blended nineties-esque rock, fun indie pop, punk and grunge undertones, an emo spirit, and relatably sad lyricism delivered by some of the best female vocalists out there.

Reach Staff Reporter Belinda Cai here. Follow her on Twitter here.



 

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