Ah, the supergroup. The collaboration among friends from previously established bands. Sometimes out of nowhere, sometimes long-anticipated. Often short-lived, but not always.
Sometimes accidental, the result of a drunken one-night recording session not meant for public consumption.
Supergroups have formed to process grief, even if all the members weren’t yet “super” at the time.
Others ended up producing some of the most acclaimed and beloved music of this century.
For people my age, one supergroup from our youth contained members so iconic, and became so famous so quickly, that their band’s name became synonymous with the idea of a supergroup.
When I think about the early stages of these team-ups, depending on the project, I imagine a meeting of creative minds, a sense of friendship and community, or a loose and fun atmosphere. On POMPEII // UTILITY, the new double album by rappers MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt with producer collective Surf Gang, I hear all of that combined.
