Superchunk – Majesty Shredding

Having embarked on a decade-long sabbatical from the studio off the back of 2001’s Here’s to Shutting Up, grunge-era workhorses Superchunk have slowly drifted off the radar. This month sees their re-emergence from the world of one-off shows and token tracks with new LP, Majesty Shredding.

It’s an album which feels immediately familiar – hinting that the quartet may have remained in stasis over their ten year hiatus – as Mac McCaughan leads with his ever endearing falsetto amidst the chant-along bounce of opening salvo Diggin’ for Something and My Gap Feels Weird. But the blissful balladry of Rosemarie and Fractures in Plaster’s string-sated crescendo bring about a refreshing touch; both providing a glimpse of a maturing act with the ability to evolve.

Elsewhere, Majesty Shredding remains quintessentially ‘Superchunk’ – an album which will tweak the tear ducts of those who followed their halcyon day, but rendered a little retro in 2010. [Paul Neeson]