Superheaven look to the horizon

Upon hearing a band returning from a 10-year hiatus, you might them to sound a little rusty. That certainly isn’t the case for Superheaven, who have returned even stronger after an extended break. The Pennsylvania rock band formed in 2008, releasing a handful of EPs under the name Daylight. But it was with the release of their 2013 debut LP Jar that the band began to make a name for themselves—not long afterward, they officially became Superheaven.
 
Setting Superheaven apart from other heavier bands in the early 2010s was their embrace of ’90s aesthetics—specifically shoegaze and grunge. Along with a healthy dash of hardcore thrown in, Superheaven’s music provided an intoxicating duality of heaviness, both riveting and dreamy. The group built on this with 2015’s Ours Is Chrome, but shortly afterward began that 10-year hiatus. In the years since, they would get together for one-off shows, but Superheaven’s big return to performing live came in the form of their tour celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Jar, which inspired the band to create new music.
 
Superheaven, the band’s third studio album, arrives a decade after the arrival of Ours Is Chrome. As much as it is a return to the band’s signature aesthetic, it also shows off how strong their songwriting talents have grown. I had the opportunity to talk with vocalist/guitarist Jacob Clarke and vocalist/guitarist Taylor Madison about Superheaven’s new album, the band’s hiatus, their thoughts on modern audiences being drawn to grunge, and more.

Treble: Playing the 10-year anniversary Jar shows clearly influenced the band, ultimately inspiring you to make new music. Prior to those shows, had there been any discussions about making new material?

Jacob Clarke: Yeah, we were always open to writing new material if it felt natural to us. As we were practicing for those shows, people would bring in ideas or a riff that they had been playing around with. We would jam on those ideas a bit during rehearsals and new songs started to take shape.

Treble: In a 2016 social media post, the band wrote that you were going on hiatus from full time touring to “pursue things in our own personal lives.” How difficult was it putting Superheaven on hiatus? Were there any reservations about that, or were you all really itching to explore other creative outlets/personal projects?

JC: It wasn’t that difficult really. We got to the point where we started to feel that in order to push things forward with the band, we would have to take on opportunities that were inauthentic to who we were. That wasn’t something we were willing to do so it made sense to take a break from touring. I think we were all in agreement that if opportunities came along that we felt good about, we would do them. We’ve always operated by doing what feels natural and right for us.

Treble: Several years after its release, “Youngest Daughter” went viral on TikTok and raised awareness of Superheaven big time. While understandably surprising, how does it feel to have such an intensely intimate song discovered on such a large scale? Additionally, how much of an influence, if any, did this moment have on the band’s decision to make new music?

Taylor Madison: While it’s great that it has resonated the way it has, I’m not sure how many people really connect with the subject matter of the song.  We wrote “Youngest Daughter” so long ago I’m not really sure I even have the same connection to the subject matter now. While it’s great to have all these new eyes on the band, it didn’t really have any impact on our decision to write new music.  That was only going to happen if ideas were coming to us organically and we were all excited about them.

Treble: Throughout the time Superheaven was on hiatus from full time touring and making new music, how close have you all remained with one another? There’s Webbed Wing, but outside that band, have you all strived to maintain an artistic relationship between one another? 

JC: We played shows almost every year, despite not touring full time. We are all friends outside the band and have been able to maintain those relationships even though we weren’t playing live as often. Outside of Superheaven we all keep busy, but this band is the thread that binds us together creatively.

Treble: How did the chemistry in the room feel coming together for a new album? Instrumentally speaking, how does writing work for you guys?

TM: It felt natural. When we were rehearsing for the anniversary tour, pieces of “Long Gone” and “Numb To What Is Real” started to come together. Each idea for a song starts out differently, usually one of us brings in a part and if everyone likes, we start to flesh it out. With “Long Gone” for example Joe [Kane, bassist] had brought in that main riff, which he had been working on outside of our practices. We all were into it, and we started to chip away at building a song around it, fleshing out a melody and lyrics.

Treble: When creating this album, how did you want to set yourselves apart from what you’d created before? As the band wrote and recorded, how did the record’s sound evolve?

JC: At this point, we know what we like and what we don’t like. We just tried to refine our process and follow our guts as to what feels right. We didn’t have any expectations or boundaries around how we should approach the new music.

Treble: How much of a collaborative process is lyric writing? Is there much conversation regarding how the band’s instrumentation is informed by lyrics, or vice versa?

TM: Generally speaking, if an idea for a song comes from a specific member of the band, they’ll also write the lyrics for the track. Sometimes we’ll collaborate if we need to figure out a melody or how to make it work with the song. Everybody’s approach is different, but I prefer to write my lyrics once the music is all fleshed out. Often when I have a melody in mind for the vocals, I’ll definitely write the lyrics to match and capture a certain feeling that I want the song to convey.

Treble: There’s been a resurgence of grunge and shoegaze over the years. What do you think has led to this renewed interest? What is it about this kind of music that you feel is emotionally resonating with audiences today?

JC: I think rock music in general is seeing a resurgence. Look at bands like Turnstile and what they are doing. There are so many bands that fit the “grunge” or “shoegaze” tags that never got their moment in the spotlight and now these younger audiences are discovering them. I think there is definitely an aspect of a generational shift back towards guitars which has helped drive this. I can’t really speak to what is emotionally driving it, but I like to think that people are just excited about good songs and giving them their due.

Treble: With a new album out in the world following a 10-year hiatus, do you see Superheaven continuing for another 10 years, or is it a matter of the moment and what feels enjoyable? At this time, how do you feel this record represents Superheaven’s identity?

JC: I would definitely like to see us continue for another 10 years. I can see new songs on the horizon for us. We all tend to just take it as it goes and do what feels natural and right to us.

TM: We made the record that we wanted to make from beginning to end, and in that way, it definitely represents where our band is at right now. We never compromised during the process and titling the album Superheaven definitely reflects that.

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