About the Sun Album Review

There’s something very young about Superturtle’s sound on the album About the Sun, although the band is comprised of seasoned professionals. Superturtle takes you on a cheerful journey of jangly guitars, lovely duets and clever soundscapes all conducive to having a good time. Perhaps it’s the light-hearted and sometimes jovial approach to music making by front man Darren McShane that keeps the sound fresh and lively.

The third release from this Auckland based band is what I would term quintessentially Kiwi, their sound is comparable to Chris Knox and Bailterspace (without the edgy moodiness) or The Chills and The Muttonbirds, just to name check a few. There’s an unpretentious 50’s and 60’s feel to songs such as Oh Yeah, Sunflowers and Benny with old school New-Wave in places, making it a musically well-rounded release. The song, I Walked Into Your Space with its avant-garde disco theme, robot vocals and atmospheric guitar being my favourite of the twelve tracks.

Most songs are around the sub three-minute mark, with a plethora of well-arranged instruments to keep your interest. The Mellotron and Theremin are good but I often wonder what all the hype is about because the Hammond organ and electric Rhodes piano are better. The strength of this album definitely lies in song writing and production value, not to say there aren’t some great performances from the multi instrumentalists going on. Particularly co-writer and brother to Darren, Murray Jacques’ guitar licks on the tracks Holiday Well and Live Another Day are excellent! Jude Morris’s pleasant backing vocals throughout the CD help to fill out Darren’s voice and driving bass lines from the bands former bassist Ben Furniss provide super epoxy to Paul Taylor on the drums. Themes convey well with the writing style firmly planted in the alt pop genre.

Darren has cleverly captured a live sound on the album, with superb instrumentation and choruses that work their way into your subconscious. About the Sun is probably the best sounding self produced release I have heard to date.