Surprise Chef return with new album ‘Superb’.
The band are part of a nexus of musicians in Melbourne, with the Australian city playing host to a series of excellent instrumental soul groups. Laid back grooves, Surprise Chef have a palpable cinematic quality to their music, recalibrating those vintage David Axelrod arrangements through a 21st century club lens.
Last year the ever-productive group embarked on a live re-score of ‘Wake In Fright’, placing their twist on the Australian cult classic.
Invigorated by this, Surprise Chef went into the studio once more, allowing themselves to work with freedom and independence. New album ‘Superb’ lives up to its titular boast – it may well be their best release to date.
Working with a tangible sense of fun, Surprise Chef hold your attention from first to last, the 11 tracks pinned down by their innate passion for grooves.
There’s also a raw aspect to the recording, with Surprise Chef allowing ideas to percolate in real-time. Guitarist Lachlan Stuckey says…
“’Superb’ was a real shift in process for us, and definitely illustrated how we can change our perspective to influence the outcome of a record. We take what we do pretty seriously; we care a great deal about the music we make being purposeful and meaningful. That mentality has given birth to a bunch of records we’re really proud of, but also can leave little room for spontaneity and the kind of unbridled joy that can be stifled by the levels of scrutiny we put into our work. Making ‘Superb’ showed us that when we’re more relaxed during the process, we get a whole different kind of record out of it”.
Out now, Surprise Chef will follow the release with a rare UK tour – dates open in London’s EartH on September 9th, before hitting Manchester, Leeds, and Bristol.
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