Independent
Release Date: January 27th 2017
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
The Supanova Project– Paradise – EP (iTunes/Amazon mp3)
Track Listing:
- When We Were Young
- Take It Over
- Paradise
- Warrior
- Love Will Find Its Way
- Paradise (Dave Edwards Remix)
People often focus too much of their attention on the U.S. and all the talent and music that comes out of the U S of A that they forget that music is made outside the 50 States…and great music at that. Artists like UNITED, Hillsong Worship, Y&F, the Newsboys, Paul Colman, Nathan Tasker, for KING AND COUNTRY, Rebecca St. James, Alabaster Box, Planetshakers, Charmaine and Peter Furler have all been privileged to have their careers originate and start within the land down under before opportunites and fame decided to take these people elsewhere, but nevertheless, the humble beginnings for these aforementioned artists is what makes a fair chunk of the CCM industry, unique, different, quirky and interesting. Enter in another indie-Aussie pop-worship-electronic group, The Supanova Project. Comprised of husband-wife duo Janelle and Branimir Mikulic, this Perth based EDM group dropped their 6 song EP in late January of 2017, reminding us all that Australian music is nevertheless still alive and well within a music industry firmly planted in either America or the U.K. With their first single “Take It Over” featured on the Hot 25 (a weekly program highlighting the songs that have charted on Christian radio throughout the week) as #1 for a few weeks in a row, Janelle and Branimir have presented an EP certain to be enjoyed if you are a fan of Alabaster Box, Press Play or even Hillsong Y&F.
Released as the first radio single from the EP, “Take It Over” has been featured numerous times at #1 on the HOT 25 Countdown- basically a 25 to 1 count on a Saturday night, counting down all the current radio tracks to hit Christian radio…voted by us. Yes, HOT 25 is tallied through voting, and thus, to have “Take It Over” reach #1 a few weeks in a row is very exciting and honouring for the band. It was a few weeks ago when listening to one of the segments of HOT 25 myself where I did discover this Perth based duo, so, I guess…voting works! No really, on a serious note, “Take It Over” is a song that’s certain to be enjoyed if you love uplifting pop-dance in a similar vein to mainstream artists like Delta Goodrem, Natalie Bassingthwaighte or American pop-dance-CCM group Press Play (who I think are currently on indefinite hiatus).
As said well by Janelle, lead singer of the duo, ‘…‘Take It Over’ is the lead single from our debut EP ‘Paradise’. The song is about hope, finding the energy and stamina to overcome adversity and conquer life’s storms…’ While the song, and maybe even the EP in general isn’t necessarily your average CCM album, The Supanova Project nonetheless have created a song that makes us all think about our own times of adversity, and what we need to undertake in our own lives to make steps to overcome them. There’s a brand of music that seems to be up and coming- conscious pop- music that isn’t necessarily Christian (or of any faith standpoint), but songs and music nonetheless that can be inspirational, emotive, challenging and encouraging all at once…of which I reckon The Supernova Project, and “Take It Over” falls under. The song is catchy, nice to dance to, but all the while having a hard-hitting message where we realise that we ‘…don’t want to waste my life away, I gotta get up, step up, win this fight today, I gotta reach for the stars above, let the light shine, through my veins, don’t let nobody hold me down, gonna heal my heartache, push the flames away…’ Well done to both Janelle and Branimir for this impacting and compelling song!
Throughout the rest of the EP, we are met with a lot more experimentation and unique musical moments as this Perth duo present one of the most musically layered indie EP’s/albums I’ve heard in quite some time. “Paradise” starts off with a light ethereal electronic keyboard backdrop as we see a theme that has not only been running through this EP but throughout a lot of new music releasing lately- that nothing can break the paradise that we have been invited into. The paradise that is found when we surrender and let go of perfection and embrace vulnerability and allow the Lord to use us as vessels of His love, even in the imperfect state that we are, is something unique and beautiful. We don’t have to be perfect, and once we are content in knowing that our paradise is being free from the baggage that comes with being ‘perfect’, we know that nothing can take that feeling and knowledge away- not people, not angels or demons, nothing. And that is what this short 3:15 track is alluding to- it may not be as overt as other songs within the pop-CCM industry, but nevertheless, the song is what we need to get the conversation going (the duo also inserts a remix of the song as its 6th track, and while I do prefer the original over the track redone, the song can hopefully bring in more listeners who love EDM, more so than me!). “When We Were Young” brings about it a lot of nostalgia as both Janelle and Branimir (and hopefully us as well) reflect upon the younger years, and how things were in fact simpler and less convoluted and complicated than right now. We live messy lives, and the longing to go back to how it was, isn’t necessarily a form of regret, but rather, an acknowledgement that times are changing, and that we need to continuously appreciate the moments we are in- because we never know if what is currently right now, will be the same ever again!
“Love Will Find Its Way”, track #5, features a gospel choir throughout a song that highlights the importance of love, and how in every situation, love will find its way to bring about the good in circumstances where there seems to be no sense or even understanding; while the upcoming second single “Warrior”, is the most ‘worshipful’ on the EP, as Janelle uses the melody to present a picture of us being warriors and ready to fight in the face of adversity. It is the lyric line in the song- ‘…just when the devil’s got you bleeding on the floor, I see a ray of hope, and God sends miracles…’ that has impacted me the most out of any lyric on Paradise. “Warrior” is an anthem for anyone who wants to cling to the notion and truth that God has made us all warriors against evil. A song that is as emotive as it is musically experimental, well done to The Supanova Project for the song to listen to if you could only listen to one on Paradise!
At only 6 songs long, The Supanova Project has delivered something a tad on the shorter side, but nevertheless, very engaging and powerful as songs like “Take it Over” and “Warrior” will hopefully become songs where people are impacted and encouraged from the concepts and messages drawn out from these songs. While not necessarily as accomplished or even as well-known as other Aussie/EDM/pop/worship artists on the scene currently, The Supanova Project nevertheless encourages us to travel out of our comfort zone and venture into something that maybe we may not have listened to (music genre-wise) initially if given the chance. Still, Paradise is an EP that is different, and that is a good thing. For anyone who enjoys artists like Y&F, Press Play or Alabaster Box, congrats to the duo for this new EP, looking forward to the next one whenever it arises.
3 songs to listen to: Take It Over, Paradise, Warrior
Score: 4/5
RIYL: Y&F, Paul Colman, Alabaster Box, Nathan Tasker, Jonathan Thulin, Press Play