What's That Noise?

Michelle da Silva

The Superfantastics

I’m pretty sure that if Seth Cohen from The O.C. was a real live boy, he would love the Superfantastics. And if I were his Summer, we would end up at a Superfantastics show at some point during Season 3, and we would totally have blast. This is the sort of bewilderment you might fall into while listening to the sweet alt-rock/pop sounds of Matt MacDonald and Steph d’Entremont.

The pair from Halifx has been making charming sounds since 2005. They released a short EP, Like Letters, in May 2006 that featured the hit single, “What Will You Do Now?,” on MuchMusic and Bravo! TV. Then, they released an LP, Pop-Up Book, which kept the duo busy touring the East Coast of Canada.

The Superfantastics are raw, easy-listening pop-rock. Their songs feature light, but crunchy guitars and sweet melodic harmonies that sound like a throwback to Weezer in the mid-90s. Songs like “Vantastic” are anthematic and campy, complete with hand claps, while “Theodore Tugboat, What Will You Do Now?” shows a more sensitive, acoustic sound for the pair. And while “Tonight Tonight” sounds suspiciously like a Rooney tune, the song delivers driving, post-punk guitars with MacDonald’s subdued vocals.

With their new album, Choose Your Destination about to drop, a preview of the album on the band’s MySpace shows that the Superfantastics have undoubtedly developed a much cleaner, alt-rock sound. “Turn On Me” is catchy, fun and original, and “Rites of Spring” gives way to electronic influences. Think of MacDonald and d’Entremont as a less angst-filled, more energetic version of Jack and Meg White.

The band will be braving the early Spring thaw for a February-March tour around Atlantic Canada.  Bring a date for a night of easy high school nostalgia, and catch the Superfantastics at one of their many stops. For a complete list of tour dates, visit the Superfantastics’s MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/thesuperfantastics.