Music / Premieres
Premiere:
Super-X - Turn To Black
Words by Conor Lochrie
Tuesday 6th October, 2020
The second cut from their forthcoming debut album, ‘Turn To Black’ could also be Super-X’s mission statement - their full-throttled industrial punk is a sonic slap in the face that engulfs listeners in a murky darkness, leaving us dizzy and disoriented.
Following the rollicking frenzy of ‘One Cut’, the second single from Super-X’s self-titled album is somehow even more of an audible bombardment than its predecessor. The Ottaway brothers Harrison and George create a wall of noise with their riffing guitars, backed by the cataclysmic drumming of Kaelan Emond. There is no bass but their proto-punk sound doesn’t lack for its exclusion (it worked for Suicide).

The dictum that abrasive means bad is proven to be a false one by the band. The virulent noise of the guitars and drums comes together with a purpose and a poise - the snarling vocals are confrontational and visceral when they can be made out underneath. The relentlessness of the rhythm invokes a certain menace: something is coming, something is about to happen.

Super-X’s previous release was a cassette from 2017, also self-titled, containing three tracks of threatening and unrelenting noise. It recalled the vehement post-punk that rose to the surface in that decade, notably by bands such as Preoccupations. With their first full-length now ready, it’s being released by Spoilsport Records in Australia and Polaks Records in Europe on October 16th. Polaks have taken quite the liking to local bands in recent times, previously releasing records by the likes of MOTH, Dragnet, and Vintage Crop to the unsuspecting continental masses.

It marks an interesting departure for the reliably excellent guitar output of Spoilsport: normally favouring janglier fare, one suspects that Super-X won’t remain an outlier for long. In the meantime, we’d recommend preparing your ears for the unruly chaos we can only expect from the forthcoming record by tuning into ‘Turn To Black’ above.

SUPER-X is out on October 16th via Spoilsport Records and Polaks Records - head to super-x.bandcamp.com to pre-order the album on limited clear vinyl.