Worth a 13 year wait, the full-length debut from Supermassive Black Holes has something for everybody

If you are unaware of local KC rock band Supermassive Black Holes, let me give you a perfectly transcribed quote from their website:

“They [Supermassive] forge a musical bond that transcends genres. Their chemistry, honed over 13 years of collaboration, effortlessly pushes the boundaries of sonic expression. Amidst the swirling sonic cosmos that Supermassive Black Holes conjure, the realms of space and the celestial find their way into the band’s artistry. Their lyrics and inter-band banter often allude to the cosmic dance, adding an ethereal touch to their already mind-expanding performances.”

If that does not get you excited to listen to the 11-year-in-the-making, newly released Stop Safely Now, I don’t know what will. Did I mention the record is 17 tracks and 83 minutes long? To those wondering what these guys have been doing all these years since their 2012 debut self-titled EP, this makes sense.

The group formed two years prior to that EP when the foursome crossed paths during the legendary Monday jam nights at the renowned Crosstown Station. The four of them (Alexis Barclay (bass), John Johnson (guitar, synthesizer, kazoo), Matt Davis (drums, piano), and Chad Brothers (guitar) have stayed in the group ever since.

Released on October 27, the grand culmination that Supermassive has brought together begins with a longer intro track titled “Spaghettification IV.” Loads of reverb and differing guitars make up the two-and-a-half minute lead-up to the record’s opus, “Smile Then I Sigh,” with the two songs bleeding together.

There is a quick transition to light guitar and lighter sounds, with the intro track almost tricking the listener into believing they are getting into something so much more different than the actual contents.

The six-minute anthem “Smile” is a nice precursor for what is to come for the next hour and a half. Full of bliss, this will be the make-or-break point for most listeners—repeated phrases, full-blown drumming, and plenty of guitar solos. Most of the tracks that follow are just versions of this one.

“Who You Are” continues this trend, intertwining multiple songs into a seven-minute rager. About 90 seconds in, the chorus arrives more interestingly and unexpectedly than each previous inclusion. Then, a jam section directly after the second chorus bridges the gap between the longer, drawn-out outro.

There’s a nice mix of fun and short, almost lesser, tracks, along with lengthy musical spotlights. Is the 83-minute runtime warranted? Maybe not. But it surely lets each listener gravitate towards their personal preferences, whether it’s fancier, long jams, or less thought-provoking material, albeit fun nonetheless. Tracks like “Down in the Boat” and “Put Down the Phone” come to mind for the latter.

“Phone” is probably the weakest cut, playing an uninteresting theme overwrought with modern worries. It does have a nice, laid-back sound to it all if the mood calls for that. “Weatherby Lake,” a few songs later, is also not as dynamic as other offerings but ends up being the better version of these two, consistently reverting to the nostalgia-tinged refrain “Down on Weatherby Lake / where I’d rather be.”

Courtesy the band

Midpiece “Whole” is a slow, acoustic-driven ballad that is a nice transition from the previous track “Why,” tacking on an otherworldly-type sound at the end directly before the up-tempo pick-me-up “Visualizer.”

“Visualizer” is a stunning framing when listening to the album in full, and possibly the heaviest inclusion. The repeated section “do it all over, again and again” from “Whole” finds its way back in a new and enthralling way. Another slight jam section begins “Slice” before transforming into another thing entirely. It’s really by this time when you realize you’re not going to be getting anything super groundbreaking from the lyricism, and you can kind of just enjoy the ride you’re on.

But “Wiser” changes that very notion with an interesting personal narrative about how a breath of fresh air and talking to a friend can make you smarter. It’s definitely a lyrical bright spot as the record comes to a close before the “Who You Are”-inspired “Young and Childlike,” another drawn-out, mid-tempo cut to finish everything off.

The gents end it with the lyric, “You better watch out, you might think too much,” which is kind of the best advice I can give to somebody before giving this album a chance. Enjoy the perseverance of an artist 13 years in the making, finally bringing their project to fruition. A strong achievement indeed.

Plenty of these will make for good live renditions, and there are a couple of opportunities to see that play out at the end of the month.

January 26 brings the mind-benders to Outlaw Cigar Bar in North KC, while five days later, recordBar hosts Supermassive on January 31, along with other KC artists Moonshroom, Gullywasher, and Kristin Hamilton. Tickets are running at just $13.03.