I was first introduced to the unique retro country-tinged, psych rock music stylings of the band of brothers, Super Doppler, at Southwest Virginia’s Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival and FloydFest several years ago.
Over the years, the band’s sound has evolved and its new single, “Edge Off,” which will be released on Wednesday, June 27, is representative. A sound that has evolved, albeit retroactively, to be reminiscent of what you might have hear blasting out of your 1975 Chevy Vega speakers as you cruised around with the windows rolled down.
“Edge Off” is the fifth single Super Doppler has released this year as part of the band’s monthly digital single series, “Super Secret Singles Club,” that runs through July 2018. The band is also gearing up for an extensive headline tour of the U.S. this summer to promote the new singles.
The single was written and produced by Super Doppler and tracked and mixed by Adrian Olsen at Montrose Recording in Richmond, Virginia, and mastered by Cameron Henry at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Six months after the release of Super Doppler’s debut, Matthew E. White-produced album “Moonlight Anthems” (June 2017), the band announced its “Super Secret Singles Club,” a monthly digital singles club that would span from February through July 2018. Bridging melodic psychedelic pop with country-funk grooves, twangy dueling guitars, and a proclivity for layered vocal harmonies, Super Doppler has come to embrace a spirited, genre-agnostic ethos, according to the band’s bio. The “Super Secret Singles Club” releases are no exception, continuing to defy the stifling label of a traditional “genre” while exploring the depths of what is considered rock ‘n roll.
All born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, the members Super Doppler began their journey as a loose collective of high school friends with a common interest in late nights and loud music. Desperate to escape the impending reality of the 9 to 5 workday, the group decided to hit the open road and play for anyone willing to listen. No matter how dark the basement or lonely the bar, it was here in the farthest fringes of the music industry that these ragtag renegades would make their stand.
Four years and 500+ shows later after forming, the band released “Moonlight Anthems,” their debut record under the Super Doppler moniker. Produced by fellow Virginia wunderkind White of Spacebomb Records, “Moonlight Anthems” showcases the shared retro influences of the five-piece band; more specifically, a group of high school friends turned bandmates that includes two sets of brothers, Michael and Bryan Adkins (guitar and drums, respectively), and fraternal twins, Neal and Cole Friedman (keyboards and bass, respectively), alongside long-time comrade Harry Slater (guitar).
With six new singles set for release over the first half of 2018 and a full length record that is less than a year old, Super Doppler wants you to know they are here to stay. With stops at SXSW in Austin, Texas, in March and Sloss Music & Arts Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, the band has plans to stay busy on the road throughout the rest of 2018.
Want to hear more? Follow Super Doppler on Spotify