From little things, instrumental juggernauts grow.

The members of Surprise Chef first gathered in 2017 with the modest aim of recording to tape a couple of spontaneous funk jams. As planned, those analogue sessions gave rise to a series of collectable 45’s but the unexpected gold they uncovered was a chemistry and camaraderie that has come to define the lives of the band-members ever since.

Three LP’s and countless international tours later, Surprise Chef is globally recognized and respected with their emotive brand of cinematic soul, a sound that has been informed equally by their isolation in Australia and their deep love for soul, funk and classic film-scores. Their first album, All News Is Good News, established the foundation for their distinctive sound, and each subsequent release has pushed their creative boundaries. Along the journey they’ve garnered praise from the likes of Questlove and Jurassic 5’s DJ Nu-Mark and were sampled for a collaboration between 88 Rising’s Rich Brian and Wu Tang’s legendary Ghostface Killah. They also provided the soundtrack to a Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime advertisement.

After spending the first half of 2024 immersed in their critically acclaimed re-score of the 1970s Australian cult classic Wake in Fright – performed live alongside a never-before-seen 4K screening of the movie – the band found themselves in an entirely new creative space. Fresh from the intensity of that project, the recording sessions for Superb were intended to be the opposite process-wise; lighter, less intense, more free and spontaneous.

Guitarist and songwriter, Lachlan Stuckey says: “Superb was a real shift in process for us… we care a great deal about the music we make being purposeful and meaningful and that mentality has given birth to a bunch of records we’re really proud of, but also can leave little room for spontaneity. On this record we wanted to embrace a kind of unbridled joy that inspired us when we first started making music. Making Superb showed us that when we’re more relaxed during the process, we get a whole different kind of record out of it.”

Superb is the type of record that could only be made by musicians who live and breathe this music. It’s adventurous, funky, experimental and free. Blending the cinematic soul of David Axelrod with the infectious grooves of Timbaland or The Neptunes.

The psychedelic opener “Sleep Dreams” builds in intensity from first to last note, a two note motif abruptly ending as it gives way to lead single “Bully Ball”. Built upon a pounding drum beat, haunting glockenspiel, vibraphone and piano “Bully Ball” hits as hard as anything the band has ever produced. The band pushes boundaries with tunes like “Body Slam”, a song that starts sweet and soulful before turning subversively abstract and dark with wild synths and astounding bass tones. That same sense of experimentation comes up again on “Fare Evader” where the band pepper an air-tight rhythm track with sound effects straight out of a 70s sci-fi soundtrack; Funk meets pointillism. Up-tempo tunes like “Consulate Case” and “Tag Dag” nod to dance and jazz-funk influences while the ballad “Dreamers Disease” and the electro-tinged “Websites” count as the band’s most beguiling beautiful songs yet.

Superb is a reflection of the bond and community shared by the members of the band. With this new album, the band show a versatility, virtuosity and creative spirit that make them one of the most exciting and intriguing instrumental artists touring the world.

On Friday, February 14th, Los Angeles band Marinero, led by creative force Jess Sylvester, released their new album, La La La, on CD/LP/DSPs worldwide through Hardly Art Records. This 12-track album features the standout tracks “Dream Suite,” “Sea Changes,” and “Cruz.”

Playfully named both for the city that helped shape it and the sophisticated pop it contains, La La La is multivalent and endlessly lush. The album was recorded at Savannah Studios in Los Angeles and co-produced by Jess Sylvester and Jason Kick, featuring contributions from Chicano Batman’s Eduardo Arenas and labelmates Chris Cohen and Shana Cleveland (La Luz). Weaved throughout these 12 songs are motivational anthems about self-acceptance and playful numbers about flirting through food, shaping a set rich with humor, empathy, and encouragement.

Sylvester, born to parents of Mexican and Irish-American descent who settled in San Francisco, has sometimes encountered preconceived notions of his sound and style that aren’t correct. On La La La, he simultaneously steps into and out of those preconceptions, singing tracks above salsa in joyous Spanish or pondering the dynamics of the Hollywood Ten and blacklists above mysterious lap steel and teasing trumpet. His identity should now be clear: He is a Californian, making music shaped by the diversity of encounters and experiences that are a central part of that state’s fabric. Never before has he presented himself so fully and unabashedly on tape as with La La La, an album Sylvester built with new inspirations to deliver new charms.