The Super Happy Fun Club – Go Fun Yourself EP
Record Label: Independent
Release Date: July 7, 2011
Fun is inevitably the first thing people will think of when reading the name of Chicago-based pop-punk band The Super Happy Fun Club. Nothing wrong with that: fun is a perfectly fine target to aim for. But the band’s latest release, Go Fun Yourself, suggests that these guys are quite a bit more insightful than just the word “fun” suggests.
Opener “My Life’s A Mess (Yeah Yeah Yeah)” kicks things off at a blistering pace. We’re hardly three seconds in before a crowd of voices dare us to shout along. The track barrels through its verses before launching into an anthemic chorus and a classic hook on the bridge. “Victims” and “London” cement the band’s staying power; the chorus of “London” is as furious and as lasting as anything Rise Against has ever written (if the target of their ire were their love lives instead of political corruption).
The strength of the opening trio alone would be convincing enough for most, but even more facets begin to peel away and expose themselves deeper into the EP. “Partners In Crime” starts off a tad slower than we’re accustomed to, but it isn’t long before the buildup from a dreamy piano line to the gang vocals going all out on the chorus throws us for a loop. The verses, loaded with guitar licks and drizzled with handclaps, are commendably nimble, and new details are ready to surface on every new twist the song rushes headfirst into. “We said goodbye to dreams / All our possibilities / To our best friends / We dodged land mines / Got hard / Advertised our very crime / In this spotlight” is a surprisingly poignant tribute to friendship coming from the mouth of somebody who earlier declared, “All we are / All we are is growing apart.”
The band has saved the best for last, however. “Light Pollution” is a perfect mold between the appealingly blunt edge of the band’s rockier side and the dreamily wistful tone they strike occasionally. By the time the gang launches in to cry out, “Can we burn out the lights?”, the two sides have become indistinguishable; it’s The Super Happy Fun Club at their finest and one of the most memorable moments on an EP full of too many to count.
Everything you think you might know about The Super Happy Fun Club is right there; it’s pop-punk junk food, buttery and salty and loaded with carbs. Yet after three consecutive listens through Go Fun Yourself, I’m convinced that these guys have much more to say than their name may suggest. This EP suggests nothing but even greater things to come. And if you beg to differ, well, you know what to go fun.
8/10
Random plug: If any of you guys are interested in getting recommendations to awesome free indie music, come swing by wasfuersohr.blogspot.com! We cover a legion of different genres and artists, so no matter what your tastes, I hope you’ll find something you like.
I am glad I found thi review, you have me sold to finding their music. I had heard of these guys from a random blog one night and couldn't find anything but a MySpace -_- and had completely forgot about them.. But I want too now, great review!
I am glad I found thi review, you have me sold to finding their music. I had heard of these guys from a random blog one night and couldn't find anything but a MySpace -_- and had completely forgot about them.. But I want too now, great review!
Their latest song is free for download and it's one of their best, imo
Thank you very much! I actually decided to buy the EP on iTunes after I read this and it is awesome. It has a sway to it not a lot of Pop-Punk does right now. The singers voice reminds me a lot of FM Static.
Thank you very much! I actually decided to buy the EP on iTunes after I read this and it is awesome. It has a sway to it not a lot of Pop-Punk does right now. The singers voice reminds me a lot of FM Static.
Cool. I'm listening to FM Static for the first time right now, and I can see the similarities.
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