Superorganism (band)

English indie pop band

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Superorganism

Superorganism performing in 2018. From left to right: B, Ruby, and Soul.

Background information
Origin| London, England
Genres|

* Art pop[1][2]
* indie pop[3]
* electropop[4]
* synth-pop[5]
* psychedelic pop[6]

Years active| 2017–present
Labels| Domino
Hostess (Japan)
Members|

* Orono Noguchi
* Harry
* Tucan
* B
* Soul

Past members|

* Emily
* Ruby
* Robert Strange

Website| www.wearesuperorganism.com

Superorganism are an indie pop band based in London,[7] formed in early 2017.[8][9][10][11][12] The group originally consisted of eight members: lead vocalist Orono Noguchi, as well as Mark Turner ("Emily"), Christopher Young ("Harry"), Tim Shann ("Tucan"), Blair Everson ("Robert Strange"), "Ruby", "B", and Earl Ho ("Soul").[13]

Many of the group's members originally met online before forming the group, while four of their members previously performed together as the Eversons. Their self-titled debut album, Superorganism, was released on 2 March 2018 through Domino Recording Company and Hostess Entertainment.[14][15]

## Career

[edit]

Superorganism's whale logo

Superorganism initially started as a casual recording project with members based in multiple countries across the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.[16] Most of the members of Superorganism had met online in music forums and via mutual friends over a number of years.[17] At the time of Superorganism's formation, the majority of the members had been living in London since 2015 and decided to embark on a musical project together.[18]

Four of the members – Mark Turner (Emily), Christopher Young (Harry), Timothy "Tim" Shann (Tucan), and Blair Everson (Robert Strange), had previously met Orono Noguchi when they were touring Japan in another band called the Eversons. Noguchi, at the time a high school student from Maine, had first discovered the Eversons via her YouTube recommendations, thereafter becoming a fan of the group. During a 2015 summer trip to Japan, Noguchi found the Eversons to be performing a gig nearby and attended. They became friends, bonding over their shared interest in internet memes.[19]

External videos

Example of Soul participating in interviews while living separately

After discovering Noguchi could sing (she had been regularly posting covers on SoundCloud),[20] the group sent a message to Noguchi, asking if she wanted to add lyrics and vocals to a demo they had been working on at the beginning of 2017.[21] Collaborating on their project remotely, Noguchi received a GarageBand instrumental file and sent back to the band her deadpan vocals recorded using the built-in microphone of her MacBook laptop.[22] The demo came to be Superorganism's first single "Something For Your M.I.N.D.", which was later featured on the soundtrack of FIFA 18. It also featured during the season three premiere of Legion, in which the band portrayed themselves.[23]

After graduating from John Bapst Memorial High School[24][25] in June, seventeen-year-old Noguchi relocated to London. "Ever since I was little I had two big goals", says Noguchi, "One of them was to be a musician or an artist of some sort, and the other was to go to college in the States. That’s why I made the decision to go to Maine by myself when I was fourteen." In regards to college, she said, "[Forming Superorganism] was a really big decision but you don’t get to decide when opportunities come. So I'll do this, and I can go to college any time I want."[19]

Robert Strange was Superorganism's original visual artist.[18] As of late 2017, seven out of eight band members lived together in a large terraced house in the East End of London that doubles as a 24-hour studio.[26]

South Korean New Zealand background vocalist Soul (Earl Ho[27]), is the only member to live apart from the group, residing in Sydney, Australia.[18] An enlarged image of Soul's face often takes his place in group photographs. Going by the project name "CHI", Soul has also released material to a Bandcamp account of his own, playing the guitar and keyboard himself.[28][29][30][31]

In June 2018, Superorganism covered Hikaru Utada's "Pakchi no Uta" (パクチーの唄; "Coriander Song") as promotion for the release of her album Hatsukoi (2018).[32]

In October 2018, Superorganism embarked on a tour of the UK and Ireland with Japanese band Chai as their support.[33]

In January 2019, the Eversons were dumped from their record label, Lil' Chief Records, due to allegations dating from 2012 against Mark Turner (Emily), that "became common knowledge among the New Zealand indie music scene." The label released a statement saying they were against sexual misconduct and apologised unreservedly for not acting sooner.[34][35][36] Some songs by the Eversons were controversial in New Zealand for their misogynistic and offensive content.[35][37]

Superorganism contributed the song "Hello Me & You" to the soundtrack of the film The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, released in February 2019.

On 7 March 2022, Superorganism announced their second studio album, World Wide Pop, with a 15 July release date, alongside the release of the single "Teenager".[38] It was also announced that Ruby, Turner and Robert Strange had left the band.

In September 2024, while discussing her side project cheese touch, Noguchi said Superorganism was "still kind of going, but it's kind of taking a break."[39]

## Members

[edit]

Current members

* Orono Noguchi,[40] also known as "OJ"[41] – vocals, writing, painting (2017–present)
* Tucan,[42] or Dr. Tucan Taylor Michaels[42] (Timothy "Tim" Shann) – writing, production, mixing, drums (2017–present)
* Harry[43] (Christopher Young) – writing, production, guitar (2017–present)
* B[44] – background vocals, background dancing, background musician (2017–present)
* Soul[45] (Earl Ho) – background vocals, background dancing, background musician (2017–present)

Former members

* Emily[46] (Mark David Turner) – writing, production, synths (2017–2022)[47]
* Ruby[48] – background vocals, background dancing, background musician (2017–2022)[47]
* Robert Strange[49] (Blair Everson) – visual arts, staging (2017–2022)[47]

## Discography

[edit]

### Albums

[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions  Title  | Album details  | Peak chart positions

|
|

AUS
[50] | BEL
(FL)
[51] | BEL
(WA)
[51] | JPN
Oricon
[52] | NLD
[51] | NZ
Heat.
[53] | SCO
[54] | UK
[55] | US
Heat.
[56]
Superorganism |

* Released: 2 March 2018[14]
* Label: Domino, Hostess
* Format: CD, LP, cassette, digital download

| 56 | 86 | 116 | 145 | 89 | 4 | 19 | 25 | 4
World Wide Pop |

* Released: 15 July 2022
* Label: Domino
* Format: CD, LP, cassette, digital download

| — | — | — | 57 | — | — | 50 | 99 | —

### Singles

[edit]

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions  Title  | Year  | Chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

BEL
(WA)
[51] | JPN
[57] | JPN
Over.
[58] | MEX
Air.
[59] | US
Alt.
[60]
"Something for Your M.I.N.D."  | 2017  | — | — | — | — | —  | Superorganism
"It's All Good"  | — | — | — | — | —
"Nobody Cares"  | — | — | — | — | —
"Everybody Wants to Be Famous"  | 2018  | 25 | 83 | 6 | 11 | 29
"Reflections on the Screen"  | — | — | — | — | —
"Night Time"  | — | — | — | 45 | —
"The Prawn Song"  | — | — | — | — | —
"Teenager"
(featuring Chai and Pi Ja Ma) | 2022  | — | — | — | — | —  | World Wide Pop
"It's Raining"
(featuring Stephen Malkmus and Dylan Cartlidge) | — | — | — | — | —
"crushed.zip"  | — | — | — | — | —
"On & On"  | — | — | — | — | —
"Woofin' and Meowin'"  | — | — | 20 | — | —  | HouseBroken
"—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released.
List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions  Title  | Year  | Chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

JPN
[57]
"Same Thing"[61]
(Gen Hoshino featuring Superorganism) | 2019  | 36  | Same Thing

### Music videos

[edit]

Title  | Year  | Album

|
|

"It's All Good"  | 2017  | Superorganism
"Nobody Cares"
"Something for Your M.I.N.D."
"Everybody Wants to Be Famous"  | 2018
"Reflections on the Screen"
"Night Time"
"The Prawn Song"
"Teenager"  | 2022  | World Wide Pop
"It's Raining"
"crushed.zip"
"On & On"
"Into The Sun"
"Solar System"

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2018 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Push | Superorganism | Nominated | [62]
2019 | Sweden GAFFA Awards | Best Foreign New Act | Superorganism | Nominated | [63]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Superorganism release their self-titled debut album: Stream". 2 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
2. ^ Cronin, Ruth (28 February 2018). "Interview: Fizzy global pop group Superorganism make music for the whole world". Nialler9. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
3. ^ "Superorganism go pop on their exclusive Selections playlist". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
4. ^ "The real story of Superorganism". The FADER. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
5. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony; Breen, Joe; Murphy, Lauren; Nguyen, Dean Van; Bruton, Louise; Sweeney, Eamon. "The 12 best overlooked albums of 2018 (so far)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
6. ^ Zemler, Emily (13 March 2018). "Superorganism: How an Internet-Addled Commune Made a Psych-Pop Gem". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
7. ^ "Top 25 Albums of 2018 (So Far)". Consequence of Sound. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
8. ^ McDermott, Patrick D. (11 October 2017). "The Real Story of Superorganism". The Fader. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
9. ^ Smith, Thomas (15 September 2017). "Superorganism: 2017's Buzziest, and Most Mysterious New Band, Interviewed". NME. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
10. ^ Bassil, Ryan (3 May 2017). "Superorganism: The New Band Who'll Fuck with Your Brain and Turn It Inside Out". Noisey. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
11. ^ Carson, Dan (14 February 2017). "Transatlantic Pop Machine Superorganism are 2017's First Big Pop Curveball, but Who Are They Really?". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
12. ^ Wright, Lisa (13 December 2017). "Class of 2018: Superorganism". DIY Magazine. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
13. ^ "Superorganism". Genius. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
14. ^ a b "Superorganism Announce Debut Album Details, Released 2nd March 2018". Domino Recording Company. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
15. ^ Superorganism | Hostess Entertainment Unlimited (in Japanese; retrieved 2 March 2018)
16. ^ "We started this project for our own amusement: DiS meets Superorganism". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
17. ^ "Superorganism on coming together via the web". Channel 4. 13 January 2018.
18. ^ a b c McDermott, Patrick D. (11 October 2017). "The Real Story of Superorganism". The Fader.
19. ^ a b Barney, Justin (20 February 2018). "An interview with Superorganism". Radio Milwaukee. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023.
20. ^ "Orono's Soundcloud". Soundcloud.
21. ^ Flynn, Niall (6 September 2017). "Meet Superorganism: Part-Pop Group, Part-Cult, Full Hivemind". Dazed. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
22. ^ Shaw, Dan (20 March 2020). "Deserted sessions: collaborating on music remotely". Happy Mag.
23. ^ "People Are Losing Their Minds Over Superorganism Appearing On X-Men Spin-off Legion". themusic.com.au. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
24. ^ "SUPERORONO-ISM". Down East. 20 March 2018.
25. ^ "John Bapst Facebook account congratulating Orono Noguchi". Facebook.
26. ^ "Superorganism". Domino Recording Company. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
27. ^ "Instagram". Soul's Instagram account. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
28. ^ "Soul's Bandcamp account". Bandcamp.
29. ^ "Instagram post by Soul". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
30. ^ "Instagram post by Soul". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
31. ^ "Instagram post from Soul". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
32. ^ "宇多田「初恋」特設サイトで小袋らと座談会、Superorganismは「パクチーの唄」カバー" [Utada's special site for Hatsukoi features with Obukuro and more, Superorganism covers "Phakchi no Uta"] (in Japanese). Natalie. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
33. ^ "CHAI to tour United Kingdom and Ireland as support of Superorganism". AVO MAGAZINE. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
34. ^ "NZ band dumped from label amid allegations". Radio New Zealand. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
35. ^ a b McConnell, Glenn. "Wellington band dumped from label amid unresolved allegations". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
36. ^ "Label dumps Kiwi band The Eversons amidst allegations against Mark Turner". The New Zealand Herald. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
37. ^ Johnston, Kirsty (7 October 2012). "Capital band apologies for 'offensive' song". Dominion Post. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
38. ^ Skinner, Tom (7 March 2022). "Superorganism announce second album World Wide Pop with new single "Teenager"". NME. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
39. ^ Ferguson, Emily. "Who's the Duo Playing the Viral Surprise Concert at Cheesman Park?". Westword. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
40. ^ "Orono's account". Instagram.
41. ^ "Tweeting birds, cash register bells make new group's music trippy". Entertainment.mb.com.
42. ^ a b "Tucan's account". Instagram.
43. ^ "Harry's Instagram account". Instagram.
44. ^ "B's Instagram account". Instagram.
45. ^ "Soul's Instagram account". Instagram.
46. ^ "Emily's Instagram account". Instagram.
47. ^ a b c Minsker, Evan (8 March 2022). "Superorganism Announce New Album World Wide Pop, Share Video for New Song "Teenager"". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
48. ^ "Ruby's Instagram account". Instagram.
49. ^ "Robert Strange's Instagram account". Instagram.
50. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #463". auspOp. 10 March 2018. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
51. ^ a b c d "DISCOGRAFIE SUPERORGANISM". ULTRATOP & Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
52. ^ "スーパーオーガニズム" (in Japanese). Oricon. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
53. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
54. ^ Peaks in Scotland:
* Superorganism: "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100: 09 March 2018 – 15 March 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
* World Wide Pop: "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100: 22 July 2022 – 28 July 2022". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
55. ^ "Artist Chart History – Superorganism". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
56. ^ "Heatseeker Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
57. ^ a b Peak positions for Superorganism's singles on Billboard Japan Hot 100:
* For "Everybody Wants to Be Famous": "Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 March 2018.
* For "Same Thing": "Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 October 2019.
58. ^ Peak positions for Superorganism's singles on Billboard Japan Hot Overseas Chart:
* For "Everybody Wants to Be Famous": "Hot Overseas". Billboard (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 March 2018.
* For "Woofin' and Meowin'": "Hot Overseas". Billboard (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 December 2022.
59. ^ "Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard.biz.
60. ^ "Alternative Songs: March 24, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
61. ^ Charpentier, Abigail (17 October 2019). "Superorganism Featured on Gen Hoshino's 'Same Thing'". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
62. ^ Kaufman, Gil (4 October 2018). "Camila Cabello, Ariana Grande, Post Malone Lead 2018 MTV EMA Nominees". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021.
63. ^ Johansson, Camilla (2019). "GAFFA-priset 2019 – här är artisterna som ligger bäst till". GAFFA (in Swedish). Sweden. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz
* 2
* 3
* 4