Birmingham’s very own Supercaan is gearing up for the release of their new indie-pop album, A Tiger Walks the Streets, scheduled for April 12th. In this interview, bassist Justin Januszewski offers a glimpse into the making of the album, focusing on the musical equipment used and the approach to songwriting.
Januszewski shares, “On the album, I used two basses: an Ibanez SR605 and a Harley Benton JB-75MN. The Ibanez was pivotal for the more melodic tracks like ‘Storms Over Scafell’ and ‘Everything Collapses’. Its warm tone really allowed me to be melodic, complementing the layers of guitars, synths, and keys.” The choice of instrument played a significant role in achieving the desired sound for each track, with the Harley Benton adding a “gritty, driving quality” to songs like ‘Zoetrope’ and ‘Belligerents’.
The band’s approach to amplification was equally meticulous. “We bi-amped on the album, using an Orange Crush 15 and an Ashdown 550”, Januszewski explains. “The Orange has a great crunch effect, which we were able to blend in just the right amount without losing the rich low end. This created the foundation of the bass sound on the album – a distorted yet punchy sound, reflecting the warped perspectives and darkness of the material. Beyond that, we used some chorus on ‘Ricochet’ to bring some of that Peter Hook bass sound to sit alongside the multi-layered lead synths and sequenced synth-bass that make that song. Vibrato and reverb were used in the first half of ‘Everything Collapses’ to complement the immersive reflections on grief, which are the basis for the material for that song.”
Songwriting for A Tiger Walks the Streets often began with synth sketches: “Sometimes most of the parts for other instruments were already written as well. As an example, on ‘Ricochet’ the bass was the last part to be written. I like writing to order as much as I like having a blank canvas. And on ‘Ricochet’, the clear direction was ‘put something down that sounds a bit like New Order’. I feel like I delivered the spec, and the part we landed on really complimented what was already there through those mid tones, without taking anything away from the synth bass which was doing the heavy lifting. ‘Zoetrope’ is a good example of a song where the bass led. Tom (Whitfield, lyrics and synths) had a vision of a hypnotic song driven by bass and drums, and I set the tone through a simple, monotonous part that moved between two tonal centres. Everything else followed that lead to create the overall effect of the song.”
Discussing the creative hurdles faced during the production of their latest album, Justin Januszewski highlights the complexity involved in crafting the track ‘Storms Over Scafell’: “There was already a very strong tonal theme here by the time I got to it, but no direction from the band, and only synth and maybe guitar already recorded. The bass needed to be melodic and active without being too busy. The writing process required me to immerse myself in the theme and follow where it took me. I feel like the bass part on this track leads the listener through a labyrinth of dark psychedelia in a playful way.”
The album’s thematic content is deeply reflective, with Januszewski noting, “A Tiger Walks the Streets is about existential anxieties. The tiger represents the creeping threat of modernisation and our fragile place in the world.” The band hopes to leave listeners with something to ponder, raising important questions within the confines of their indie-pop soundscapes.
A Tiger Walks the Streets is available for pre-order on Bandcamp.
