Alarm Will Sound - James Supercave

Originally published by Alt Citizen

Guns are dangerous, we can all agree on that, but James Supercave draws an analogy between unattended firearms and access to Mama’s “loaded purse on the floor” in the first verse of the title track off their new album, Alarm Will Sound. Curious kids messing with something they’re not supposed to typically ends in tragedy, and the tragedy here is unfettered access to cash and the addictive nature of wealth in our always-on society. Social climbers edging closer and closer to the sun on wax wings, deaf to the warnings that it all could come crashing down at any moment. We have an endless array of alerts and timers on our mobile devices, surely an alarm will sound if we’ve gone too far. Someone has to be looking out for us, right? Sorry, Charlie. You’re on your own. Wonka is only looking out for himself.

Elastic synths, funky basslines, and tight percussion are the name of the game and like Foster The People, MGMT, and Glass Animals before them, James Supercave is able to wrap all this bleakness up in disco ready production that’s easy to get lost in. But don’t pay too much attention to the rest of the dancefloor because everybody is watching you, copying your moves, and more than ready to slide in and take over when you miss a step.