Ben Rowley and I have two things in common: a passion for music and a passion for cycling. Active under the moniker Super Pyramid, the Canadian creative embarked on a bicycle trip from Vancouver to Montreal, a nature-driven route to slowly uncover untouched sections of his artistic expression. It all worked out really well; Rowley got both a wonderful adventure across Canada and a shiny, vibrant new album, ‘Comment if This Is Paradise!’.
A deeply varied body of work, the record contains a surprisingly large number of influences and genres, spanning from the Broadway-like opener ‘Before & After You’ to the Queen-flavoured ‘Better Angels’. And that’s just the start: later in the tracklist, a piece particularly catches our attention, ‘Only the Vain’. Steeped in indie, dreamy and psych character, the track showcases one of the most modern sides of Super Pyramid. Echoing contemporary heroes such as Tame Impala, ‘Only the Vain’ feels sonically expansive, yet lyrically personal and vulnerable.
You see, the aural references might be limitless, but Rowley’s songwriting is not; or better, it’s more focused, drenched in vivid and nostalgic storytelling, bucolic images and introspective cuts. There’s a reason the album is described as ‘philosophical’ by Super Pyramid himself. Overall, ‘Comment if This is Paradise!’ is a record worth your attention… don’t take our word for it, experience it firsthand.
Recommended! Discover ‘Only the Vain’ and ‘Comment if This Is Paradise!’ on Spotify:
