New single and b-film inspired video provides a dark vision of our actions, representative of mankind
OAKLAND, CA | March 15, 2019 – California’s garage-pop/indie rock band Super Cassette dropped a brand new single and accompanying music video today, titled “Better In Reverse”. With lush, jangle-pop melodies, a bit of fuzzy, over-driven guitar, and layers of harmonic vocals, the band builds a relaxed yet forward-moving and hook-laden pop tune. A closer listen to the lyrics reveals a jump into dark introspection, questioning the actions of humans – and wondering if everything would be ‘better in reverse’.
“It laments mankind’s unfortunate tendency to just ruin things over time – whether it be personal relationships, the social/political climate, or the planet (especially in this age of apparent dystopia),” reflected vocalist/guitarist Max Gerlock. While the lyrics apply to all scales of humanity, the track’s origins were sparked very close to home. “The first lyric and melody surprisingly came to me in their entirety during a road trip. Our band is fronted by me and my twin brother, Nick, and in that moment I was reflecting of a particular memory where I was very intoxicated and ended up just treating Nick like garbage. The line – ‘You were my brother, but we killed each other’ – how can you more succinctly summarize humankind’s tendency to betray itself? Why do we treat each other poorly, even when we’re in the same family?”
The lyrics go on to subtly nod towards humankind’s damage and destructive actions – citing the manufacturing of weapons, ruining of world and natural wonders, and hurt to fellow friends and family. It’s brought full circle by proposing how different – and better – the world might be if we could hit reverse. The take-away boils down to the fact that each of our choices creates a major impact on others – and unfortunately, our world has no reverse button, so it’s up to us to think ahead.
The accompanying music video provides a heavy dose of 90’s nostalgia, pairing perfectly with the band’s crunchy-smooth sound. B-movie inspiration lends a sweet-sour combination of gore and notes of comical relief. Gerlock shared that the video concept came to him in a dream – where he was explaining the nearly full-fleshed video idea to his bandmates – enacting the of killing of each one in anger, and bringing them back to life by hitting rewind, when he realizes his mistake. The band worked with videographer Nick Troughton, and shot locally in Oakland.
“Better In Reverse” was self-recorded and mixed by the band, and mastered by Piper Payne of Neato Mastering. It is Super Cassette’s first release since 2017’s EP Cathode Ray Tube; several further singles are expected in coming months, leading up to the band’s first first full-length release, due out by end of the year. “Better In Reverse” is available on all major digital platforms today including Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music. Super Cassette is celebrating with a show tonight at The Starry Plough in Berkeley, CA, alongside Ghost Town Hangmen and Grumbler ($7, 21+, 9pm).
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Photo by Nicholas Troughton
ABOUT SUPER CASSETTE:
Super Cassette is an Oakland garage-pop band built around the guitar and vocal harmonies of two brothers. The band formed when Max Gerlock assembled a group to play his solo project, Maximillian, live. Their first show went so well that it became obvious the project should be transitioned into a full-fledged band rather than a solo effort. Plus, Max and his brother (and co-frontman) Nick had been meaning to pursue a project together in earnest for years, but didn’t have the time to until graduating college. Once bassist Devin Hollister and drummer Aziz Yehia were on board, they knew they had something special.
Super Cassette blends lush, jangly pop songs with the manic, brooding energy of overdriven guitars and untethered vocals, yet their explosive moments are earned by the contrast of spacey, introspective sections throughout their music.
Off the heels of their last EP, Cathode Ray Tube, and a few west coast tours, Super Cassette is gearing up to deliver several singles, leading up to their first full-length release at the end of this year.
