Superchunk
I Hate Music
3 1/2 stars
Rock
It’s been 23 years since Chapel Hill band Superchunk released its self-titled debut album, but the band has continued to remain fresh and current throughout a two decade career. I Hate Music, Superchunk’s 10th studio album, is yet another testament to the band’s uncanny ability to create catchy rock songs.
With a title like I Hate Music , the album is expectedly dark. Although most songs are fast and feature upbeat instrumentals, lead singer Mac McCaughan potently delivers verse after verse of restless lyrics. On “Me & You & Jackie Mittoo,” McCaughan voices a midlife crisis of sorts, and asks, “I hate music, what is it worth?” Many of the other tracks, particularly “Staying Home,” express an apathetic sentiment.
Although known for being one of the forefathers of the indie rock movement, Superchunk experiments with punk rock elements on I Hate Music. Both “Void” and “Staying Home” feature guitar riffs swallowed in distortion, as McCaughan’s vocals soar over the commotion.
I Hate Music is a fast and energetic album, demonstrated by the fact that only two of its eleven tracks are longer than three and a half minutes. Not surprisingly, these two relatively lengthy songs, “Low F” and “What Can We Do,” fail to capture the same liveliness of the rest of the album and subsequently tend to drag.
After cementing itself as a local legend and releasing critically acclaimed music for more than 20 years, Superchunk has nothing left to prove. Even so, I Hate Music is another solid addition to the band’s storied catalogue.
— James Stramm
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