Snõõper

Stereogum / AOTW
Super Snõõper’s 16 tracks whirl by with breathless speed, leaving you in an adrenaline-fuelled dust cloud. The album rewards repeat listens; eventually, as you learn to hook onto each buried power chord, secret cowbell, and fried groove, you’ll find yourself catching up to the band. Despite its sense of abandon, the meticulous control and precision of Super Snõõper will reveal itself, too, proving that it takes a hell of a lot of thought to be so perfectly thoughtless.

"Snõõper are an adrenalized, DIY mix of mutant punk and garage rock, with a little twee and art rock in there as well, all thrown in a blender and set to ‘puree.” - Brooklyn Vegan, Albums We’re Anticipating for Summer

“Swarming with vibrant imagery, humour and a celebration of the DIY, it perfectly captures the essence of Snõõper.” - CLASH (‘Pod’)

“Snõõper are at their happiest while sprinting between riled-up punk, garage rock, and new wave, so prepare for your heart rate to spike when tagging along for the ride.” - Pitchfork, Most Anticipated Albums of Summer

“The five-piece promises a thrilling venture for 2023” - So Young

“A punk band for the ‘sped-up version’ age, Snõõper are a Nashville DIY five-piece that play brutally fast, incredibly fun songs.” - Stereogum

Today, Snõõper share new single/video ‘Running’, ahead of the release of their debut album Super Snõõper out this Friday via Third Man Records.

‘Running’ is a marathon, not a sprint: clocking in at over 5 minutes, it marks the longest release in Snõõper’s discography to date. The song builds and builds on a grooving bassline before culminating in an acid-soaked guitar solo. The accompanying video - helmed by Sean McGuirk - is an homage to 80s home workout videos, filtered through Snõõper’s kaleidoscopic lens.

On the track, vocalist Blair said “Running was written during the pandemic as many of our early songs were. This song was written deep in the pandemic when people began to feel hopeless and everything began to feel really scary. The George Floyd protests were happening, Trump was president, and people felt out of control as we watched our country experience the consequences of an unjust system. Political leaders were fanning the flames as people were screaming for change. All of this was happening at a time when people couldn’t properly take action due to pandemic restrictions. It was a horrifying feeling. Most days, all I could do was go for a long walk or run. I think sometimes that’s all anyone can do when things feel out of control. We can always get out of our minds and into our bodies. Move, breathe, jump, put one foot in front of the other.”

Snõõper is a band who, in a 33 ⅓ RPM world, make 45 RPM music they play at 78 RPM. The Nashville-based DIY punk outfit maintain super precise instrumentals and skillfully melodic vocals, even though they’re flooring it almost the entire time. Formed in 2020 by vocalist/visual artist Blair Tramel and guitarist Connor Cummins, Snõõper’s initial 8-track recordings were released on DIY labels. Although not originally intended as a performance project, the duo brought these recordings to life with the additions of Cam Sarrett (drums), Happy Haugen (bass) and Ian Teeple (guitar). 

Super Snõõper was recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville. Given the brief glimpses into Snõõper’s music from their 7”s, EPS, and thrilling live performances, one might wonder if the group could hold the line for a full album. The answer is an enthusiastic yes. In the words of Henry Rollins, “Speaking selfishly, I want Snõõper to hurry up and make another album. Super Snõõper is a really cool record.”

Snõõper are known for their raucous live show which integrates many different artistic mediums — music, video art, puppetry, assemblages, and more —  to create a unique experience for each performance. The band recently wrapped up their debut Australian tour and are currently performing a string of U.S. west coast shows, with their debut UK tour taking place this Autumn.