Premiere: James Supercave, ‘Come Alone’

Kevin Bronson on September 11th, 2018

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James Supercave (Photo by Brittany O'Brien)

James Supercave make shape-shifting art-pop for bent hearts and contorted dancing — the stranger the better, as evidenced on the Los Angeles band’s 2016 full-length “Better Strange.” The core trio of Joaquin Pastor, Patrick Logothetti and Andrés Villalobos is now back in the groove working on a follow-up, and it’s an inviting one on the new single “Come Alone,” which drops this week.

All hail the power of a deep groove and a sweet, soulful falsetto: Accentuated by warm synths and stinging slivers of guitar, “Come Alone” is an urgent plea to dispense with pretense. “The song speaks directly to a lover, asking them to drop the bullshit and come as they are,” Pastor says. “Being vulnerable is one of the big lessons you unlearn in this life. Everyone is born vulnerable, seeing things with open eyes and an open mind. … It’s not until you grow up that you learn how to play defense, keep your cards to your chest and judge people for what they’re worth to you. I think my favorite lyric in the tune talks at this: ‘Flash forward / reborn butt-naked / Baby brain seeing things brand new.’”

The song, which follows the band’s April single “Something to Lose,” emerged from an idea Pastor took to a co-writing session with Ian Scott and Mark Jackson. “All the big moves were made in broad strokes in that session,” he says, explaining that the band then fleshed out the song. It was recorded at home, with Aki Ehara (The Seshen) providing the mix. Clocking in at less than 3 minutes, it’s James Supercave’s most concise single yet. Seeing things brand new, indeed.

||| Stream: “Come Alone”