Superchunk’s 2025 album “Songs in the Key of Yikes” is cleverly titled, but according to frontman Mac McCaughan, its anxious tone wasn’t a deliberate choice. It was inevitable.
The album features tracks like “Is It Making You Feel Something?” and “No Hope,” offering a cathartic exploration of post-pandemic anxiety and uncertainty, including what McCaughan describes as “creeping authoritarianism” in the current U.S. political climate.
“I guess this is the world we’re living in, or the times we’re living in, and this is what we ended up with,” McCaughan said during a recent interview ahead of Superchunk’s Oct. 9 concert at Pappy and Harriet’s.
“We try not to make records that 10 years from now will seem out of date or dated. We’re not trying to make a record that’s ripped from the headlines or something. It’s more from the angle of ‘How is everyone staying sane? How is everyone dealing and holding on when everything is kind of terrible?’”
“Songs in the Key of Yikes” marks the Chapel Hill, North Carolina indie band’s first studio-recorded album since 2018. Their previous release, “Wild Loneliness,” was recorded during the pandemic in McCaughan’s basement.
Despite the shift in recording environments, Superchunk’s philosophy remains consistent in balancing personal and political themes in songwriting. McCaughan hopes the band’s approach has evolved over time, citing the 30th anniversary of “Here’s Where the Strings Come In” as a touchstone.
“It’s never been like, ‘We’re going to make a statement about something.’ Our approach has always been ‘We’re going to write the best songs we can and make a record people want to listen to this year, five years, and 20 years from now,’” he said.
Superchunk has a different setlist during every show
In September, Superchunk toured the East Coast, including a stop at Riot Fest in Chicago. With over 30 years of material, the bandmates say they enjoy switching up the setlist each night.
“We definitely like to mix it up, and we know there’s a lot of people who have been coming to see us for a long time, and they don’t want to see the same set they’ve seen before. They probably want to hear some favorites, and we try to honor both of those things,” McCaughan said.
He recalled working at Kinko’s years ago when a band came in to Xerox their tour setlist. “I was thinking like, ‘Oh my god, playing the same set every night sounds terrible,’” he said.
When Superchunk last played Pappy and Harriet’s in April 2022, drummer Jon Wurster fell ill. Rather than cancel, the band performed an acoustic set featuring “Endless Summer,” “If You’re Not Dark,” a cover of The Magnetic Fields’ “100,000 Fireflies,” and “Detroit Has a Skyline.”
“We have a ‘the show must go on’ kind of attitude and have canceled very few shows in the last 36 years,” McCaughan said. “I’m looking forward to coming back and playing a regular rock show. I love the desert and that area. We have friends that live out there and Pappy and Harriet’s is such a unique place to play. I can’t think of anywhere else that has the same vibe. Even before we played there, we heard about it for years.”
Arcade Fire’s most successful albums were released on Merge Records
Outside of Superchunk, McCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance co-founded Merge Records in 1989. The label has grown steadily while maintaining its fiercely independent ethos, supporting artists like Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Magnetic Fields, and Conor Oberst.
Merge was pivotal in the success of Arcade Fire’s debut album, “Funeral,” and continued to support the band through “Neon Bible,” “The Suburbs,” and “Reflektor.” Other Merge artists who’ve reached the Billboard 200 Top 10 include She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) and Spoon. The label also released Neutral Milk Hotel’s cult classic “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.”
Still, Merge has faced challenges. Arcade Fire left the label in 2017 for Columbia Records, and others like Waxahatchee and Spoon have moved to different indie labels.
“We’re not in a position to bid against Sony Music. I think in some ways, the bands that want to be on a label like Merge (want to) because it’s artist-run and supportive of the interests of the artists,” McCaughan said.
The shift from physical sales to streaming has also impacted revenue. McCaughan noted that artists could once live off royalties from digital downloads, but streaming pays little unless a song is included on an “algorithmic playlist” or goes viral.
While some fans still buy CDs and vinyl, production costs are rising. However, distribution has become easier.
“In the ‘90s, we had distributors that went out of business owing us thousands of dollars. Distribution now is good for physical music and people who are buying records, CDs and even cassettes, whether that’s from their local store, at shows, on Bandcamp, or mail order from the label — those people are keeping bands and labels alive by buying physical music,” McCaughan said.
If you go
What: Superchunk concert
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9
Where: Pappy and Harriet’s, 53-688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown
How much: $42.74 to $99.74
More information: pappyandharriets.com
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Superchunk returns to Pappy & Harriet’s for ‘regular rock show’ after prior acoustic set
Reporting by Brian Blueskye, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
