Bristol’s Super-Frog Saves Tokyo returns with ‘Beams’, a bold second album, channelling the spirit of the ’90s dance scene through the lens of modern production. Set for release via Electronic Architecture, ‘Beams’ is an 8-track journey of melody, movement, and memory equally at home on dancefloors as it is an immersive home listen. Influenced by the golden era of electronica, ‘Beams’ blends punchy rhythms, and club-ready grooves with lush analog synths, melodic hooks, and an emotional undercurrent. It’s a record shaped by nostalgia, though never trapped by it fusing old-school inspiration with forward-thinking sound design.
“It’s an album borne of a singular vision. Each track stands on its own, but they also connect – they’re built to work together as a whole piece. It’s music that straddles genres from Balearic trance to ear-splitting techno, via ambient soundscapes, but at all times remaining anchored with memorable hooks and melodies.” – David Harrison, the artist behind Super-Frog Saves Tokyo.
Opening track “Drench” eases listeners in with Vangelis-like strings and distant, distorted piano washes, building momentum before collapsing into warped percussion and Harrison’s most dynamic bassline to date. A skipping beat and “Second Toughest”-era Underworld-style arpeggios lift this unpredictable opener to an unexpectedly euphoric climax. “Scream” follows with a crunchy analog bassline that hums and swells beneath a genre-bending blend of glitchy builds, disco claps, and screeching techno percussion. The gorgeous “Mondrago offers a Balearic respite – emotive pads and strings build into melodic arps and a swirl of harmony that hints at something darker beneath the surface.
First single “Clarion” jolts the tempo back up with nine minutes of pulsing trance, before giving way to “Ascend” – a sparse ambient interlude where a simple motif dissolves into a drift of reverberating echoes. ‘Minds’ is a highlight among highlights; all stop-start structure, burbling acid, filtered pads, and a build that summons the spirit of ’90s techno exhilaration. ‘Insidious’ dives into abrasive, glitch-heavy territory, all saturated Reese bass and distorted percussion ricocheting across the stereo field, relentless to the end. Closing track “Lumière” wears its Italo-disco influence proudly, pairing a infectious piano riff with a shimmering Balearic groove, a gorgeous, sun-kissed finale.
