The upshot here is that Supersonic Blues — who just released their debut album, It’s Heavy (review here), in January — have restructured the band. In doing so, they move former bassist Gianni Tjon-Tam-Pau to guitar and backing vocals, and bring Bob Zurcher in as a replacement on low end. With this lineup — completed by drummer Lennart Jansen and guitarist/vocalist Timothy Aarbodem — the now-four-piece will take stages this Spring at various festivals including Roadburn, Freak Valley and Sonic Whip. One imagines there’s more to come there as well as the rest of 2022 plays out.

It was a number of years waiting for It’s Heavy since it was recorded in 2019, so the question was just how much the album represented where Supersonic Blues were at to start with, despite one way or the other being a righteous execution of retroism on its own merits. This news means the answer is perhaps less, since invariably a band so focused on presenting themselves in on-stage fashion in their studio work will find that dynamic changed with new personnel involved. Ultimately though, Supersonic Blues went into that record with a strong idea of what they were going for, and I suspect they’ll continue to work along those lines, however long a follow-up might take and whoever will be involved in its making. This is a band with a mission, and I’m posting this news as much to point you to the album stream at the bottom of this post as I am to keep up with their doings more generally.

So yes, if you see this and you haven’t listened to the album, go ahead and do that.

From social media:

SUPERSONIC BLUES- ANNOUNCEMENT!

As some of you may know, we founded Supersonic Blues back in 2014 already. It took us some line-ups, but as of early 2016 it was steady to the point where we are now. In October last year, our now former bassist Gianni expressed that he wasn’t happy anymore playing the bass, being a guitar player originally. It took us some days to process this news, but realising we can’t change his feelings and we don’t want to put ambition before our friendship and brotherhood, the idea of continuing as a four-piece felt like a natural progression.

Luckily we found our old friend and ex-roomie to fit the role perfectly. We have been rehearsing for a couple of months now and we have to say it is working out nicely! So please give a very warm welcome to our new bass player: Bob Zurcher (Twin Shades, The Womb)! And of course, we’re introducing Gianni on 2nd guitar as well. On to new adventures… Looking forward seeing you all this season at Roadburn Festival, Sonic Whip, FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL, a.o. Until then, take care.

Photo by Lina Selg

Supersonic Blues is:
Timothy Aarbodem – Guitars, vocals
Gianni Tjon-Tam-Pau- Guitars, backing vocals
Lennart Jansen – Drums
Bob Zurcher – Bass

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Supersonic Blues, It’s Heavy (2022)

Netherlands-based vintage heavy rockers Supersonic Blues release their debut album, It’s Heavy, on Jan. 10 through Who Can You Trust? Records. And while one would not accuse the awaited eight-tracker of being inaccurately titled, the heaviness is really just scratching the surface of what they have on offer as a band. From the first blowout fuzz of lead cut “High as a Kite,” the Den Haag three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Timothy Aarbodem, bassist Gianni Pau and drummer Lennart Jansen throw down a retro-ist gauntlet that few acts outside of some lost ’70s private press archive could ever hope to match. With close compatriot Laurens ten Berge at the helm and Guy Tavares (The Mercury Boys, ex-Orange Sunshine) bringing Motorwolf tutelage and flair to the master, Supersonic Blues turn raw edge into aesthetic purpose and whatever format one might hear it on, their overmodulated-sounding grit is a dead-on accompaniment for their songwriting.

To wit, “High as a Kite” itself with its bareknuckle hook, or the fuzz-funk of “They See Me Comin'” and the sub-motorik biker chug of the title-track, which is also the longest inclusion at just over seven minutes. So much of what Supersonic Blues do is about the vibe and from the way “They See Me Comin'” roughs up its solo section in its second half to the quick, tape-running-out fade at the end of “It’s Heavy,” there’s live energy across the record that “Crawlin’ Back” and the winding “Got No Time for Trouble” answer on side B. It’s not Pentagram worship, and it’s not Graveyard or Kadavar worship. While one could hardly say Supersonic Blues are the first band to try to harness a sound directly reminiscent of the era of heavy rock’s birth, I’ve heard few do it with such a level of buy-in or accomplishment, and even more than the band’s 2017 debut 7″ Supersonic Blues Theme b/w Curses on My Soul (review here), It’s Heavy finds individual expression in the familiar backdrop of microgenre.

They cover “Phantom Child” from New Mexican heavy rockers Lincoln St. Exit‘s sole LP, 1970’s Drive It!, and include a bonus take on 13th Floor Elevators‘ “Reverberation,” both of which feel right at home alongside “Got No Time for Trouble” or the two-minute strut of “No Good for Conversation” that presumably leads off side B of the vinyl. In the tones of Aarbodem and Pau and the far-back stomp of Jansen‘s drums, Supersonic Blues‘ originals are obviously well schooled in the spirit they’re attempting to capture — and, I’d argue, capturing — but to listen to “It’s Heavy” or “They See Me Comin'” or “Crawlin’ Back,” the impression they make isn’t just about production value. It’s Heavy is bolstered by its recording on stylistic terms, of course, but “It’s Heavy” is an ace jam, and “They See Me Comin'” is memorable from its first bounce onward. Same goes for the heavy blues of “Got No Time for Trouble” and “High as a Kite.” You may in fact be transported through time, but it’s hard to know if you’re going back or forward by the time they finish with “Reverberation.”

It’s Heavy was finished in late 2019. It’s been waiting for release ever since. I’ll tell you straight out, I’ve had the record since early 2020, and I’ve yet to put it on and regret it. I’m not sure what more I can than that, other than that if Supersonic Blues wanted to go ahead and make a follow-up on a shorter turnaround, that’d be just fine too.

Enjoy “It’s Heavy” on the player below, followed by some comment from Aarbodem, links, etc.

Dig:

Timothy Aarbodem on “It’s Heavy”:

I think Guy suggested it as the album title, since it’s bold, maybe a bit tongue in cheek and sorta self-explanatory. Almost like a slogan, “Hey, how does the album sound? It’s Heavy, man!” We like the visual aspect of it.

We rehearse in this small warehouse kinda place, next to a skatepark. By that time, it was really still a ‘room’ inside the warehouse, and our buddies placed their studio gear in there. Now they (The Womb Studio — Tijmen, Laurens and Domenico) built a proper studio in there together with Gianni (SB bass player). they managed to get some funding for it. It’s a privilege to rehearse there as well, but back then when we recorded it, it was still nice and ‘primal’ — all analog studio gear.

When recorded, we went to Guy Tavares for his take on it. His style is wild, but we love it. We finished it late 2019, early December I think, but yeah, then shit hit the fan in 2020, so we were not really in a rush to release it. But we’re happy how it turned out, record cover came out beautifully. It’s still ‘standing’ as an album, to our perception. Even if it has been a while hehe. Quite some positive stuff happening now at the SB-camp, more on that later.

PRE-ORDER HERE:
https://whocanyoutrustrec.bigcartel.com/product/supersonic-blues-it-s-heavy-lp

Supersonic Blues on Facebook

Supersonic Blues on Bandcamp

Who Can You Trust? Records store

Who Can You Trust? Records on Bandcamp

Who Can You Trust? Records on Facebook

Been waiting a while on this one. Like two years. And now that the moment’s here, I’m not sure what to say about Supersonic Blues‘ debut album, It’s Heavy, other than the fact that it’s out Jan. 10 and up for preorder now. I guess that’s an okay start.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see the Den Haag trio twice at Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands — first in 2018 (review here) and then again in 2019 (review here) — and the album brings out the most vintage-sounding sides of what they do. The fuzz-overload on “They See Me Comin'” alone sounds like a blown-out gauntlet being thrown down to anyone who’d groove ’70s style in its presence, and the scorch of the Lincoln Street Exit cover “Phantom Child” comes across like an aged tape unearthed from decades-past obscurity. Supersonic Blues are admirably set in their mission and the head space they put you in while listening to It’s Heavy is a standout even among acts of a nostalgic frame of mind.

Note the linkage here to the Hague’s Motorwolf scene here and mastering by Guy Tavares — late of Orange Sunshine, currently in Mercury Boys with Supersonic Blues‘ own Timothy Aarbodem — as you can for sure hear that link in the band’s output, if in next-generation fashion.

I want to go on about it, but I’ve got a review/premiere planned for next week (yeah, even aside from the Quarterly Review), so sit tight for that.

Meantime:

SUPERSONIC BLUES – It’s Heavy LP

** OUT JANUARY 10TH 2022 on Who Can You Trust? Records **

Three buddies laying down that heavy, fuzzed-out, psyched-up, blues-based rock n’ soul. No strangers to The Hague’s gritty underground scene, Supersonic Blues have an unhealthy obsession with diggin’ out that one obscure 60s/70s rarity. Still, these guys sure enjoy a 21st-century dystopian boogie! For fans of Taste, Grand Funk, Sabbath and the Hendrix Experience.

“It’s Heavy” was completed over the course of 2019 and delivers 7 solid tunes, heavily road-tested in their home country and abroad including 2018’s Roadburn Festival to which the band was invited to play not one but two shows! Recorded by Laurens ten Berge at The Womb Studio and mastered at Motorwolf by Guy Tavares. Artwork by Ruud Aarbodem and Maarten Donders.

Released in an edition of 300 copies on black vinyl.
The first 50 copies include a handnumbered print with art by Maarten Donders.

PRE-ORDER HERE:
https://whocanyoutrustrec.bigcartel.com/product/supersonic-blues-it-s-heavy-lp

More news to follow…

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Supersonic Blues, Freaks (Gotta Be Free) b/w Wicked Man (2018)