Superorganism knows something that many other bands should take to heart: music that's cathartic doesn't have to sound somber.







Likewise, a group singalong about being a prawn can feel just as (if not more) meaningful as a dude clutching a guitar warbling about the enormity of his pain. The eight-pieces' sound harkens back to a time when a prevailing swath of indie-rock was concerned less with making albums centered around Big Ideas than with enthusiasm - not necessarily in the content of the lyrics, but at the very least with the generosity of its sounds.





For those among us who fondly remember the days when indie pop groups like Architecture in Helsinki, The Unicorns, and Los Campesinos! had a foothold on the blogosphere, Superorganism isn't just a breath of fresh air against a too-frequently dour musical backdrop - they're an oxygen tank.





The bands live shows aren't so much an assault on the senses as a woozily curated, multimedia funhouse. To watch Superorganism perform is to subject oneself to a disorienting-yet-enjoyable amalgam of 2000s Internet culture, B-52's-indebted dancing, and pop collectivism. Long story short - you can't help but want to join the cult, if only because everyone seems to be having so much damn fun in it.





With an upcoming show at Emo's with Yuno on September 19th, we had an appropriately freewheeling conversation with founding-member Harry about the spiciest food he's ever eaten, his biggest culture shock experience, where he'd live if everyone on Earth disappeared, and more.









ENTER TO WIN TICKETS TO THE SHOW!

















Do512: What’s your fondest memory of Austin, Texas?





Superorganism: I think that my fondest memory was Domino, our record label, had rented a house that had a pool. One night after we'd finished playing earlier in the day, we did this weird radio session for a radio station from Canada in this hotel where we were all sitting on a bed playing and after that, we went straight to the Domino house and had this pool party. It had a really good vibe, and at that time as well we were coming from London, which was really, really cold at that point, so being able to have a pool party with all of our label friends was fun.





What is Superorganism’s superpower?





Superorganism: Our superpower is kinda like Transformers, where we can all come together and create like, a multifaceted superpower. Each individual member has their own thing. Maybe I bring in like, invisibility, and B brings flight, and Ono is bringing the ability to see through walls. You put it all together and it's this unstoppable cyborg.









Photo Credit: Roger Kisby





What is the spiciest thing you’ve ever eaten?





Superorganism: Recently, I bit into one of those chili peppers just to see what it would be like. That was really, really hot. I think it was a ghost pepper. That was pretty intense.





Describe what Superorganism does in non-musical terms.





Superorganism: I think that the music we make is kind of like a trippy safari through eccentric minds.





What’s the biggest culture shock you’ve ever experienced?





Superorganism: In terms of touring... To be honest, people in certain European countries can be very matter of fact. I don't want to use the word humorless because that's a bit mean and I don't think it's a lack of humor, I think it's a clashing of senses of humor. We're all kind of silly people and we all riff a lot, and so when we've come into contact with some cultures that that's not the way they are and shoot straight down the middle, sometimes our humor goes over that well and there's been some kind of weird silences. Not anything too bad, though. We're all pretty adaptable people.





If everyone else disappeared from the earth, where would you live?





Superorganism: I guess if everyone else disappeared from Earth, maybe I'd do best on a space station just kind of orbiting and waiting until people returned? I guess it depends on the way that everyone disappeared, I suppose. If it was due to some kind of natural catastrophe, then I'd be better on a space station. But if everyone spontaneously vanished I'd probably go and live in the forest in New Zealand somewhere, near the beach.









Photo Credit: Jordan Hughes





What’s the worst party you’ve ever been to?





Superorganism: There's been quite a few, to be honest. When I was a teenager I lived in New Zealand for quite a while, and in the south island where I went to High School, it was quite rugged. I don't know how friendly you guys tend to be, but basically, there were parties where there were a lot of drunk people and a lot of fights, and I got punched in the face. I once played at a house party where there were all these drunk guys, and I felt really out place there. In New Zealand, they do this thing called a Yardie, which is a yard glass of beer, and they'd been doing this thing called 12 Yardies from midday to midnight where twelve different people would do a Yardie on the hour, every hour, and we showed up about 10 pm. So, like ten guys were extremely drunk and when we started to play, they all took their penises out and started to swing them around, and to tell you the truth, they were being kind of intimidating. It was almost like this primate gesture of endorsement; it was really bizarre!





What is the most memorable encounter you’ve had with an animal?





Superorganism: I've hung out with a lot of really cool dogs, but I've not really done anything like swimming with dolphins or hanging out with a chimpanzee -- I'd love to hang out with a baby chimp or something like that, but never had the opportunity.



What Internet memory makes you nostalgic?





Superorganism: I think the dial-up tone and waiting for that to go (imitates noise) is very nostalgic for me. Also, the interface of the old kind of GeoCities website. It just reminds me of really early on when kids just sat there waiting for really slow Internet, taking 20 minutes to download a song. If I hear that tone or if I see a page with that sort of design, it takes me right back to being young and ready to be shocked about the things I'm about to see on the Internet.





Have you ever had a paranormal experience, or had something happen that you can't explain?





Superorganism: Not me, but when I was a kid, a friend of mine who lived not far from where I lived, I think it was his Grandma or something died one day. Then the next day, really, really freaky, on the outside of his brother's bedroom window were these two imprints of a face that was kinda like someone had pressed it against the window, but it was really, really freaky. This was a small town in the north of England and it was on the second story. I've procured in hindsight that it was probably some sort of prank somebody pulled on them, but it was so real like someone actually put their face outside on the bedroom window. I don't know what that was about, but it was very freaky to a 9-year-old me.























