Surprise Chef – Superb (Translucent Tangerine Vinyl)

Australia's world-renowned cinematic soul band Surprise Chef returns with their new album Superb. An album that represents a shift in their creative approach and makes their music even hotter. They trade in their meticulous writing and recording techniques for a looser and less planned approach, with the intention of bringing more ease to the process, and they succeed in spades. The top-notch musicianship is still at the forefront, but they push their sound in a more energetic and fun direction on this album.

Album opener "Sleep Dreams" is the closest thing to a Surprise Chef song, but then comes lead single "Bully Ball" and you get the feeling they're here to kick down the door. The song's gritty drums thunder through the speakers and are covered by percussion, keys, bass and guitar strums that bring the funk with them. The band pushes the boundaries of traditional arrangements with tracks like "Body Slam," which begins like a sweet soul song and then takes an about-face by becoming dark and haunting, focusing on a sound created by placing a timpani in a bathroom two doors down from the mixing board. The same sense of experimentation is evident on "Fare Evader", where they spice up another breakneck rhythm track with synthesizer notes that sound like robot sound effects from a 70s sci-fi movie.

With tracks like "Consulate Case" and "Tag Dag", the boys increase the tempo for dancing, with the former influenced by Afro-funk and the latter by jazz-funk. With "Websites" they take us into the beautiful world of Surprise Chef ballads and with "Dreamer's Disease" they once again prove their ability to write beautiful and ethereal tracks. With their new album Superb, their new approach and their plans to tour the world, Surprise Chef are about to make the step from one of the underground's most popular bands to a household name, and we're definitely on board.