When new friends are made in college, the deal at times is often locked in with a fist bump, shotgunning a PBR, and downing it with a shot of shitty whiskey. Well when Alexander Shofler & The Supertraxxe boys crossed paths at The University Of Southern California, they may have sealed the deal similarly but they followed it by make sweet, beautiful, funky tunes. Today we revel in the release of that epic collaboration, the self-titled EP is the first full release from the duo (released through Prep School Recordings) and it has elements of garage, house, nu disco all pulsating with pop-infused melodies. When asked how they would describe the album, AS & The Supertraxxe they called it, “ an energetic, funky, genre fuck – A Chameleon because this EP changes up so much song-to-song.” A chameleon indeed- they manage to cover an array of styling while keeping the funky vibe in tact.
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First off the decks is “Elevator Love” which sounds like a combination of David Bowie x Prince x Disclosure. Past pop vibes are incorporated with future garage sounds in this harmonious funk-infused EP starter.
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Following Elevator Love is the debut single off the EP release, “Automatic.” The chameleon that is Alexander Shofler & The Supertraxxe change their colors to a smoother richer blue in this song, as they take the temp down a notch and boost the sexuality up.
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Again the chameleon shifts colors and tempo, bringing a more upbeat and pop infused melody to their third song off the EP, “Only A Feeling.” This song is electrifying, generically poppy, but so damn catchy. It will have you nodding your head back and forth to the beat as you recite the words, “time is only a feeling.” This song is more like modern indie dance and garage tracks but stands out with Alexander’s smooth vocals.
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Things get darker and deeper with, “Smile.” Crunchy synthesizers and hard hitting pulsations of sound elate the inner dancer with us and make believe as though we were voguers in our past life. This track is noisy, loud, distorted yet insatiably delicious.
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When the three called their EP a “genre-fuck” they weren’t kidding, as their last track “Convince Myself” boldly proclaims. This track is reminiscent of the recent stylings of Flume, combining hip-hop with future funk. For this track, the boys recruited Jay Sneed whose in your face methods pair perfectly with Alexander’s John Legend-esque vocals. This track jumps off the page and catches you off guard all the while solidifying the group’s proclamation that they have surpassed genres.
All hail the great Alexander Shofler and The Supertraxxe – this EP will be on repeat this summer. Also if you are feeling the soulfulness robust sound of Alexander Shofler you’ll be hearing more from him in the coming future. Alex just signed with Indie-Pop and will be releasing his debut EP in the next coming weeks.
