Following in the footsteps of The Story So Far, State Champs and Neck Deep, Superheroes are the newest pop-punk act to be making noise from the Northern parts of the UK. New EP ‘Deadlines’ promises “a fuck ton of hard work from a bunch of scruffy northern gits”, but has the hard work really paid off?
‘Feverfew’ begins the record with an instantly recognisable summery punk riff that is accompanied by the smack of the drum patterns. There’s no doubt about it, this is a pop-punk record from the outset, straight up, no frills. Just a soundtrack for a road trip, influenced by tales of tour and love. Standard. As you continue you through the rest of the EP, ‘48’ and ‘Ties’ offer nothing drastic in terms of being influential, but they’ll do as punchy, easy-listening tracks. ‘Nothing Good Happens After 2am’ hints at what else the Superheroes boys can master up, a cute love song with a title that so many can relate to, let’s face it.
‘Lullaby’ is the strongest offering to come from the EP. Despite being the shortest track on the record it offers a more impressive taste of what Superheroes are capable of. This is where they sound their strongest and you can definitely imagine bodies flying around to this in an intimate live atmosphere.
Rhythmically Superheroes have got it. Each track on ‘Deadlines’ has all the essential elements to form a sweetened punk song. The hard-hit of the drums, the chugging guitar chords that take you through each verse and build you into the chorus. But vocally things aren’t what they should be, what they could be. It gives the impression of trying too hard to be American, to sound like all the bands they undoubtedly look up to. It’s a bit of a disappointment for a record that has the potential to be a lot stronger. Hopefully though, with a bit more spit and polish (and maybe some vocal training) Superheroes can define themselves as not just another pop-punk band, but a group of guys with the passion to stand out from the crowd.
TAMSYN WILCE