Mainman behind Superturtle Darren McShane certainly has prior form, among other things he formed Chainsaw Masochist (on Flying Nun, for those old enough to remember) and more recently he was in Figure 60 as well as having been a sound engineer -- which is how he met some of the fellow travelers here (bassist Ben Furniss from the Broken Heartbreakers and White Swan Black Swan, and vocalist Jude Morris who came in to do some demos).

None of which may prepare you for About the Sun with its knowing and sometimes wry dollop of post-New Wave pop and touches of classic Fifties sounds on snappy sub-two minute, hand-clap songs like Oh Yeah . . . which spirals off into Nun-like guitar psychedelics.

Superturtle distill a lot of diverse elements from pop history: guitar jangle, memorable choruses, organ fills, bits with trippy spoken word passages about sunflowers, over-wrought ballads with wah-wah (Benny), a vocoder . . .

And Holiday Well (see below) could have taken its melody from a hit in the middle of any of the past five decades.

This also sounds terrific in a sharp lo-fi but crisply produced way -- it has real presence -- and that just enhances the effect, which might be you want to get out a mid Sixties Tommy James and The Shondells album. 

Nick Lowe billed one of his albums as "pure pop for now people". This is sort of pure pop for people who remember then, now.

By Graham Reid, posted Jun 7, 2010 in elsewhere.co.nz

'I Walked Into Your Space' by Superturtle from 'About The Sun' (2010)

Superturtle create music that sounds like it has just got laid, then maybe smoked a joint. It is sweet, gentle, and leisurely ease while simultaneously packing an absurd amount of quirkiness and melodic and rhythmic variety, as well being a little smug about it all. Which is cool, they deserve confidence: they’ve attempted to break loose of the typical ‘indie’ sound and travel in the direction that has suited them, fuelled by experience, influence, and musical talent. The result is an album that offers something new with every track – from fuzzy pop (‘The Whole Night Through’), to hard-focused post-punk (‘Cash that Cheque’), to deep moaning brass and adorable space-wobbles (‘All Our Friends’) – and an approach to music to has valued artistic integrity over ego and reputation.

Their charm stems from an aura much like the bright New Zealand suns of old. They are rediscovering music with a New Zealand flavour without resorting to dub/roots or blindly following international indie trends like zombies and calling it ‘local’. Bands such as The Mutton Birds, Bressa Creeting Cake, Split Enz and – dare I say it – Goodshirt all spring to mind: perhaps it’s the squawking seagull samples, the confused stumbling bass lines, vocals thick a dated kiwi accent (from when it still betrayed our British heritage) or the plain down-right originality. But more-so I think they all share a musical style that is earnest and innocent, flowing with youthful innovation. Yes, there is something to this stubborn Auckland sound that is just bloody wonderful!

Sarang Bang Records

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