Like indie rock documentarians, Superchunk have a knack for capturing the zeitgeist and chronicling the struggles of the moment. In 2018, What A Time to Be Alive reflected a backdrop of political upheaval. Four years later, Wild Loneliness mirrored the isolation and uncertainty of the COVID pandemic. Now, with Songs in the Key of Yikes, the band once again distills the feeling of living in a country where everyone seems to be carrying something heavy.
“It’s always been the case that everyone is going through something that you may not be aware of,” says vocalist/guitarist Mac McCaughan. “This is currently more true than ever—but also the case that we are all going through some things together. In the face of that, what good is art and where is happiness found?”
Across 10 tracks, with the band’s trademark jangly punk guitars and catchy choruses front and center, the band tries to prove that happiness can be found in three-minute songs.
The record opens on “Is It Making You Feel Something,” the lead single, highly infectious and prime Superchunk. What follows is similar in vein, thoughtful lyrics buttressed by catchy guitar and drums and choruses that make you sing at the top of your lungs. While not every song here is joyful, they almost all offer at least snatches of hopefulness … with the possible exception of “No Hope.” The driving “Care Less” offers a potential roadmap to getting through life unscathed, while “Everybody Dies,” despite the title and chorus, still offers a pretty sanguine spin on the sentiment.
While Songs in the Key of Yikes, maybe not be the obvious answer to the uncertainty gripping the country—where ICE agents detain people off the streets and the National Guard patrols D.C.’s tourist corridors—It does manage to deliver 40 minutes of joy and respite.
