Superfruit - Future Friends (Part One)

Buy Future Friends (Part One) here (iTunes UK)

It was the dazzling, eye-catching cover art (above) that got me to check out ace pop-dance duo, Superfruit, but it was their equally splendiferous music that got me to stay. After one listen to their epic debut EP, Future Friends (Part One), I was berating myself for not discovering them sooner and questioning "why am I not telling everyone I have ever met about this twosome"? I am about to rectify that right now with a review of said EP. Superfruit, aka Scott and Mitch, have crafted delicious harmonies that weave through invigorating pop melodies, satisfying like cool lemonade on a hot summer day. As part of a cappella group, Pentatonix, their singing abilities have never been in doubt, but it is rather thrilling to experience the music they have created outside of their main gig. The EP title is superclever too - future friends not only stands for the endearing personalities of the two lads shining through on their musical endeavours, like old friends chatting down that hip wine bar I can never get into; but it is also indicative of what these tunes will become - old friends that soundtrack your life journey and then provide soothing reminiscence of favourite memories when you need it the most. This is hyper-slick pop at its finest, mes bon ami, and here is why you should invest in each and every song...

• Imaginary Parties ~ Set to an instantly slick and ingratiating groove, the EP opens with a statement song that sets the tone for everything that is to follow. Seductive falsetto and alluring blended lower register juxtapose against each other, titillating with a sense of electrifying anticipation that throbs through every addictive second of this exuberant tune. The lyrics are all about keeping a relationship fresh through succumbing to the fantasies that should be shared and not kept secret. When the offer is as good as this, then my safe word is YES PLEASE.
• Bad 4 Us ~ Any song that starts with a finger clicking rhythm has my undying devotion from the get go. When it is as sensuous and mesmerising as Bad 4 Us is, then I'm all in (no questions asked). Influences of Prince and George Michael abound on a too funky score that is a sexy MF. Mitch and Scott sing of the darker side of lust, when you know the relationship is heading nowhere good yet the road there is so intoxicating that you can't seem to quit. When they sing "you got me crazy" during the middle 8, with an extended yearning on that last word, it is the literal musical representation of biting your lip during the pleasure moment. I've gone from YES PLEASE to DON'T STOP...
• Worth It (Perfect) ~ After two songs where your inhibitions have been obliterated, the guys realise when it is time to move on. I like that they do so in a classy way, no regrets and remembering the good times that have been shared. They are some lovely languorous piano moments, as if allowing the memories to permeate through to the listener and awaken their own experiences. By creating these personal connections between artist and consumer, the music becomes so much more than just a song. It becomes inextricably linked to the memory - and that is some powerful musical magic to conjure up. Wizards.
• Vacation ~ every June/July/August needs what us Brits call a holiday song and this years may well be Vacation. Add it to your playlist (next to the GoGos completely different yet same titled song, Madonna's Holiday, Girls Aloud's Long Hot Summer, Steps' Summer of Love et al) and let the music welcome in those balmy heated nights. There is an exquisite sense of relaxation and freedom about the song, like loosening your tie on the last day of work before a long weekend (ooo, I bet Scott looks mighty fine in a shirt and tie). All good songs about time off should invoke those feelings of liberation and the exhilarating percussion and riveting refrain do just that. It is Janet Jackson's Escapade for a new generation.
• Sexy Ladies ~ While the title of the song might sound like the type of tune LMFAO or Robin Thicke might churn out, it is actually a smooth r'n'b inspired, disco infused jam that gets your shoulders swaying and your hips shimmying. The music takes control of your body as electro-synths swirl around you, like Cameo and Kool & The Gang had hot steamy shenanigans and this is the love child. Whip smart lyrics play with the expectations of the music, making for a thoroughly stimulating romp. Bloody love it.
• Heartthrob ~ Quite frankly I would put posters of Scott and/or Mitch all over my wall if I were back in high school. The disco inspirations continue into this declaration of lusty, romantic intent and, like all the songs on the EP,
  it is the genre pulled through the Superfruit kaleidoscope to give a contemporary aura. The jump-rope middle 8 chant is a glorious treat that you will want to listen to over and over again. You are instantly thrust back to writing your dreamboat's name all over your notebook, content in the knowledge that if he ever saw you he would dump the supermodel girlfriend he was with, embrace his newfound sexuality and take you for a milkshake down the dairy queen. Ah dear diary, you never sounded as sweet as Heartthrob.
• Future Friends ~ and so the tremendous, plays-like-a-greatest-hits EP comes to an end all too soon with the title track. A militant beat crescendos into a delirious dance breakdown as the chaps sing of how they believe that, even though a relationship might end, it can still continue in some other form. I like the hope and optimism that they present through nuanced exploration of the anguished lyrics. The choral, layered vocal moments are pop utopia at their best. It makes you want to grab the one you used to love, hug them and then bust some shapes. And what better way is there to end the EP than that? Scott and Mitch, I salute you. Future friends? FOR SURE.