AV Super Sunshine “Sweetwater” (EP)

AV Super Sunshine is back this mid-winter with Sweetwater, an intriguing extended play that takes inspiration from an eccentric brand of pop, rock, and folk music but firmly asserts the artist behind its creation as one of the most original in all of contemporary indie music. Led by the enigmatic AV himself, the work sounds more in-sync and connected with the medium than ever before in songs like “Two Hearts (Guitar Rock Mix),” “Steel Bridge (Folk Rock Mix)” and “August Child,” and listeners who had been hoping to hear something as experimental as it is deeply emotive in this latest release from AV Super Sunshine are going to be especially moved with what the EP has to offer.

“Smile (Guitar Rock Mix),” “Two Hearts (Guitar Rock Mix)” and “Change,” which together form the core sensibilities of Sweetwater, are surreal, difficult to categorize in some regards, and almost impossible to turn away from once you’ve pressed play on any one of the three tracks. “August Child” and “Steel Bridge (Folk Rock Mix)” are an oddly conventional pair of songs that round out the tracklist on a rather retrospective note, but I think that was exactly what AV Super Sunshine was going for here; much like the end of a retrospective trip into the past, we finish the record feeling as though we’ve touched a bit of our history in search of some greater sense of the future.

I love the raw depth of this master mix, as it essentially affords the melodic parts in songs like “August Child” and “Two Hearts (Guitar Rock Mix)” so much more of a presence than they would have had amidst the vocal work of the singer here, allowing for AV to cast a spell over us that isn’t easily broken even after the record is no longer playing. Harmony is the most important component in Sweetwater; whether it be broken or inhumanly perfect, it’s the driving force behind all of the magic we hear on this EP.

“Change” has an obscure elegance that “Steel Bridge (Folk Rock Mix)” tries to modulate a little too much, but the contrast between the two tracks isn’t off-putting at all. By mixing the beefy in with the infirmed, AV Super Sunshine is giving us a full-color look at his style without having to make adjustments to suit a mainstream audience. Most bands would kill to have this kind of diversity in an extended play, and that’s just in the indie rock community alone.

If you’ve had the misfortune of never hearing the music of AV Super Sunshine before now, you need to get your hands on this disc before the month is out. Critics have not been able to stop buzzing over its impending release and having given it my full attention since first receiving my copy, it’s hard to deny its addictiveness and relentlessly insightful commentary even during its more experimental moments. Sweetwater is worth spending a couple of listening sessions with, as is the player who has been forming the tract for its development since first arriving on the scene.

Mindy McCall