Super Heavy Swims In 90’s Shufflebeat Nostalgia on Debut EP Inyemeda

Of all the unexpected musical threads to follow in the 2020s, I wasn’t expecting a baggy revival.

Baggy, for the uninformed, was a UK-centric subgenre of music with elements of dance, pop, and whatever constituted indie rock in the 90s. It’s kind of a “stone soup” style. throw a “shufflebeat” into the pot (just look up The Stone Roses’ “Fools Gold” to hear the backbone of the whole thing) and then supplement it with anything else you want: shoegaze textures, pop singing, whatever you like. Today, plenty of artists are pilfering those archives for nostalgic effect, and some of them (Hatchie, George Clanton, beabadoobee) have succeeded wildly.

With that in mind, you can hear an intentional continuation of that thread in Super Heavy’s debut EP, Inyemeda. The EP, composed and performed entirely by Adam Price (formerly of the psych-pop band Shimmertraps) is five introductory songs that lean heavily (no pun intended) into narcotic atmospherics and warm synthetic textures. You kind of learn everything you need to know about it via the music video for “Never Asked For Much,” Shot by Shimmertraps’ Zach Moses, the video sees Price replicating the dirtbag Cobainesque look - eyes shaded by bangs, loose T-shirt, chain necklace - against a wall of TV snow. The song itself oozes wistfulness, with that classic slow Balearic beat shuffling under a woozy melody line and growled vocals.

“Never Asked For Much,” is perhaps the clearest example of that late 90’s evocation, although the opening title track is also in contention. The track revolves around a muttered mantra (“Medication/medicate/sedation/and sedate”) that, like Clanton’s “ooh rap i ya,” is less about the lyrical content than the feeling of the words escaping the lips. The chunky guitar that floods the mix halfway through could be the chemicals hitting the brain. Later, “Neon Blu” is anchored by a strummed acoustic guitar and a steady 4/4 drum pattern, while the lethargic “The River” is aptly named for its aqueousness.

Suffice it to say that Inyemeda is a past period remembering itself through the haze of distance. If that vibe is up your alley (and it is very much up mine), you’re gonna love this.