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Watch As Superorganism Slams Its Slacker-Psych Single 'Everybody Wants To Be Famous'

It started with a lofty promise: "What's up lovely people of SXSW. We are Superorganism and we're gonna blow your m****f****** minds!"

What followed lead singer Orono Noguchi's confident introduction was a one-way ticket to the weird and wonderful wavelength of this crew of kooks from all over the place — including South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and the U.K., where they now live and create in a shared house in London.

Throughout a set of songs from their inventive, choppy-poppy, psychedelic-sampling debut, Superorganism's three backing singers entertained, with dance moves that included mimed front crawl swimming and rag doll slumping, while Noguchi broke up her delightful deadpan with moments of sudden punk urgency.

As they neared the end of their set, performing the single "Everybody Wants to Be Famous," I kept asking myself why it felt so good to watch Superorganism do what it does. Maybe it's because everyone in the group looks like they're truly being themselves. Maybe it's because they're embodying something that feels new. Maybe it's because the songs are so darn infectious.

And maybe (read: definitely) it's best not to overthink it, but just let go and let Noguchi and Co. live up to the terms she presented at the start.

SET LIST

  • "Everybody Wants To Be Famous"
  • Credits

    Producers: Bruce Warren, Suraya Mohamed, Abby O'Neill, Michele Tharp, Mark Abuzzahab, Mike Henry, Jake Saxbe, Sean Barnicle; Technical Directors: Josh Rogosin, Jake Sam; Videographers: Jara Wallace, Nate Helton, Evan Bozarth, Rahm Carrington, Dylan Rosser, Edward Whitiff; Audio Engineer: Joel Chawick; Photo: Gus Philippas for NPR; Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey.

    Special Thanks to SXSW, Stubb's BBQ, and Spire

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage, as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6 and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.