On their debut album,
Superelastic,
Velo-deluxe mixes twisted guitar fuzz with softer country-tinged ballads to create hazy power pop. Guitarist/vocalist John Strohm, formerly of the Blake Babies and
Antenna, penned the majority of the songs on
Superelastic. The lyrics range from quirky observations to sugary sweet relationship tales. What keeps the songs from being nauseatingly saccharine is the wall of guitar noise that backs them. On the more upbeat pop tunes, such as "Superelastic," "Vello Deluxe" and "Skin and Bones," Strohm's clear lyrical delivery is meshed with jagged guitar bursts and distortion. On "Dirtass," a noisier guitar track, Strohm's voice ranges from scratchy whispers to hoarse screeches as the song builds to the chorus "You're everything and nothing to me." The band mellows out quite a bit for its ballads, such as "Angels" and "Saturday." They're built around melodic, quiet guitar with a little country twang to it and Strohm's gentle croon.
Superelastic is an energetic pop album that has enough of an edge to keep it interesting. ~ Tracy Frey