superWAV - aTYPICAL (Self-Released)

SuperWAV are a Brooklyn-and-Austria-based duo, consisting of German-born siblings Anne Wichmann (vocals and programming) and Volker Wichmann (guitars). Their latest EP aTYPICAL finds the pair stripping back and refining their indie rock/garage sound to their rawest and most potent yet. The band takes cues from other duos like The Kills or The White Stripes, as well as bluesier elements from PJ Harvey and the sheer wall of noise from Sonic Youth. Nevertheless, the sound here is identifiably their own, with a fresh and exciting style that crosses boundaries and limitations of a genre that often has severe restrictions.

Each of the songs on aTYPICAL is named after one of the five personality archetypes. The EP begins with “The Lover”, which is by far the hardest track here with a dirty blues riff and powerfully delivered vocals. Elsewhere, there are a handful of really solid wonderful ballads, like the stalking, circling “The Warrior,” and another stand out is “The Everyman” which flirts dangerously with grunge and sludgy metal. The EP closes with the relative calm of “The Magician,” as if exhausted from the torment of the previous songs, but the band remains drenched in heavy emotions until the very end. aTYPICAL is a perfectly fitting title, because SuperWAV are true standouts in this genre, creating an intensity between two people that couldn’t be replicated with an entire orchestra.