Supahip duo Michael Carpenter and Mick Moldre have concocted a groovy, laid-back album, entitled Seize the World, that at times has a retro feel. They’ve got it down pat with the melodies and harmonies, resulting in an appealing album that neither shocks nor stuns, but maintains a level of consistency that ensures your interest held almost all the way through.  

The aforementioned melody and harmony are represented well in opener Like Love, which has a quite an outpouring of these qualities.

Tulsa is reminiscent of a Beck track and has a nice addition of subtle strings, which serve to add an extra dimension to the song.

The best songs on this album are the ones with an abundance of groove. Something’s Gotta Give has a great intro with a slick bassline taking the stage. The song has a bit of a retro feel to it, particularly due to the harmonies mid-way through the song and subsequent handclaps and the psychedelic guitar effects at the end of the song.

Wouldn’t It Be Good’s vocals and bass are soon joined by the drums, with more layers being added to the chorus. The vocals are fantastic until the chorus, but then the gruffness sounds a bit out of place and strained. Nevertheless, this is still one of the best songs on the album.

Other songs, however, are effective in their simplicity. Falling Backwards, for example, has a mesmerising effect with its distorted vocals and thumping drums. Likewise Let Go/Around the Sun is a stripped back tune that utilises this quality for effectiveness.

Unfortunately, things become a bit monotonous during Hanging By A Thread. It is a mediocre, sleepy song that lacks the appeal of the other tracks.

Things pick up again with Ultra Black Light. The song’s distorted guitar intro and nice vocal technique work well, while the drum slowly becomes more prominent. There’s also some pretty cool synth in this song and a wonderful melody that ties it all together.

After the album is over, you have the option of letting it all play over again, but this time in mono, which makes up tracks 13 to 22.

The Supahip have done well with this recording – not only in creating subtle, effective atmospherics, but with adeptly fusing guitars with electronic and retro elements in order to create something just that little bit different, and more importantly, something that is definitely worth repeated spins. Give it a go.