Posted on April 18, 2010 - by Mark Zonda

Catching Tigers: Tiger Trap Supercrush EP

Is it possible for a band being called a cult after having seed more EP, splits and 7 inches than albums in one year only? Yay if the name of the band is “Tiger Trap” and you’re considered to be one of the main founders of the American response to Twee Pop. This band always fascinated me, especially for the genuine nature of their music (two school friends deciding to form a band) and the decadent elegance of its works. Then again: how could I be indifferent to an indie band picking their name after a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon?

Since it’s spring, but I’m still haead looking for summer, I’m recently under a massive listening of their “Supercrush” EP, the ideal listening for a lazy sunday afternoon under the ashes of Eyjafjallajokull burst. The perfect lava sunset.

The EP was released under the legendary “K Records“, and this should deserve a post apart on its own. The legendary American indie label from Olympia -whose motto is “Exploding the teenage underground into passionate revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982″ – got Beat Happening, The Go Team and Beck under his prestigious shield (to name the fews).

Three songs and the rebelling spirit of a summer romantic youth in it. The anti heroine figure is portrayed by the popular Rose Melberg. Frequently considered “the perfect twee girl of the pop” she will later sing for different projects such as Go Sailor, The Softies and Gaze, not forgetting a dignified solo career.

Perfect balanced between twee jingle jangle guitars, grunge noises and an improbable rocky drumming and just a inch of a pitch untuned choirs reminding of Holes, Supercrush is just… PERFECT! And with such an intensity and changes of mood and tempo is always so so surprising noticing that it last 2 minutes and 15 seconds only! This song doesn’t seems an opening at all. It should be listened on vinyl only and it deserve to open and close any love mixtape trying to deserve this name.

“You and me” is pure pop, simple and so epic, with unbeatable choirs and guitars. And believe me: it really takes talent to write such catchy stuff being so direct and appealing with just a bass, a drum and a guitar. Honesty and pureness is something you don’t easily buy from a record. It’s so clear even in the ending of the EP: Hiding sees the band saying goodbye to their audience. Tomorrow it will be sunny and shiny again. In a corner of our mind it’s a never ending summer, and each scratch on that old vynil won’t stop it from giving the melody another spin.

Tiger Trap – “Supercrush”

Waiting for our sight:

• What Will Replace MTV? (15)
• Our last year of independent? (7)
• Indie O’Clock: Tiny Tide and Nothing Meets All (7)
• Funny Little Bunny (6)
• Christmas Indie Ep from Japan (6)