Written by Jackson Foster
Nashville punk rockers Snõõper are back with their second full-length album, following their debut release in 2023, Super Snõõper. Though the band has been putting out music since 2020, Super Snõõper helped them gain traction and expand their reach outside of their underground following that had emerged in various online communities. Known for their “egg punk” style that combines lo-fi production, speedy tempos, and off-kilter lyrics, the band’s sound may be hard to nail down for listeners who are used to classic punk rock or who are unfamiliar with the genre as a whole. The same could be said for their unique performing and marketing styles, which often involve life-sized puppet costumes in videos and on stage that are equally zany as they are creative. For seasoned listeners of rock, electronic, and pop music though, Snõõper’s musical prowess is hard to deny. With Worldwide, vocalist Blair Tramel and guitarist Connor Cummins are reforming the sound that amassed their fan base and pushing the boundaries of expectations for punk, “egg” or not.
I remember first discovering Snõõper from a random Instagram account when Super Snõõper first came out and admittedly, it wasn’t for me at the time. There was something about the short song structures and wacky pacing that was so different to what I had been listening to that I struggled to understand the appeal. I recall finding it difficult to separate one song from the next and found the project to be an exciting listen, but also somewhat one-dimensional with its one-liner lyrics and similar style throughout. However, I gave the record another shot about five months after its original release when their single Company Car came out, and that song completely changed my opinion. It was one of my favorites in 2023 and saw the band return to their tongue in cheek lyrical style, but with longer passages rooted in storytelling and a harder-hitting instrumental that begged its listener to move around. With the added context, Super Snõõper suddenly made more sense to me and is now one of my most revisited albums from that year. The band seems to shine brightest when they aren’t taking themselves too seriously, which is no discredit to the quality of work they’ve put out. They truly just seem like they’re having a blast when writing, recording, and performing their songs, which Worldwide not only grows upon, but puts on full display in comparison to its predecessor.
This album, released on October 3rd of this year through Jack White’s Third Man Records, was one of my most anticipated releases of the fall after hearing the three lead singles, Worldwide, Guard Dog, and Pom Pom. The aforementioned Company Car is on the track list as well, along with two other songs from 2024, On Line and Relay, which have all been reworked to better fit the context of the album. Spanning twelve songs in twenty-eight minutes, Worldwide comes off as the maturation of Super Snõõper, which held fourteen songs in just twenty-three minutes. This time around, there are no tracks under one minute in length and most land between the minute-thirty and three-minute marks, which allows for more progression instrumentally and longer, more thoughtful lines lyrically. Many of the same chronically online themes that arose in the band’s earlier work are also present in this new release, which are reinforced by the cleaner synth-driven rhythms and metaphors related to the digital world scattered throughout the track list. This isn’t the extent of the themes present on the album, however, as Snõõper manages to correlate their online presence with feelings of societal pressures, self-exploration, and uncertainty as they operate as young people in today’s world.
Worldwide opens with Opt Out, a direct reference to automated messages and spam calls that flood so many of our inboxes. Without wasting any time, the urgency is set high with its tight drum pattern and guitars that take turns playing the same riff. This energy is carried into On Line (the shortest song in length) and effectively works as a connecting link between tracks that commentates on the purposefully created versions of ourselves that we choose to display online. Company Car is next, followed by the title track, Worldwide. The band cited this song as a turning point, saying that they knew they were ready to record the album after its completion. It’s definitely one of my favorites out of the bunch and to me, puts the ethos of the album on full display with its lyrical content (“Pressure, both sides, this way, that way, wild ride!”) and synth-based rhythm. Another highlight, Guard Dog, follows that and is a bit more emotionally grounded compared to songs preceding it. According to Blair, it’s about “Having a voice and learning how to use it,” which is reflected in its assertive lyrics that come off as rather self reflective and are less rooted in metaphor. Track six is Hologram featuring Screen star (a.k.a. Matt Campbell) who interestingly, was the band’s first guitarist alongside Connor and later ventured into his own solo project. Though I don’t find this song to be a standout on its own, it serves as another supporting piece for the record as a whole, especially with its unique layering and classic punk flair.
The second half of the album starts with Star 6 9; another hit in my opinion. Highly danceable, the interplay between guitars mixed with the drum machine beat prove to be one of the most fun songs in the collection. It sort of feels like a return to the lyrical style of Super Snõõper with its reliance on one liners, but it certainly isn’t to a fault. Following that is Blockhead, a song about video games that leans into the fastness found at the album’s beginning and sees the band delve into a wilder side that hadn’t been fully realized until this point. Hilariously, a cover of Come Together by The Beatles is next and in the best way possible, switches up the flow yet again. It may seem like an unlikely crossover, but the band reworks the classic in a way that is truly their own and I think it’s deserving of its placement on the album. Another favorite of mine is next in Pom Pom, whose lyrics sound like cheerleading chants that are supported by an echoey rhythm in the second half. Second to last is Relay, which I see as a step towards closing in the final leg of the album. With suppressed riffs and Blair singing at a slower pace in the first half, it feels like a shift in momentum that is appropriate for where it’s placed. Finally, Subdivision (the longest song in length) closes the record and allows the most breathing room sonically. At just over four minutes, it sounds more jam-oriented and builds itself up into an eventual climax at the end of the song, opposed to starting with and maintaining it like many others do. It’s a truly thoughtful closer that allows a release from the pent-up tension built throughout the album.
Worldwide rules and I would recommend it to anyone searching for a short, fun, and rewarding listen. Fans of more classic acts such as Devo, The B-52’s, and Ween or fans of modern bands like R.M.F.C., Model/Actriz, and feeble little horse are also likely to find something noteworthy here. You may find Blair’s writing to be more relatable than what you would expect (I know I did), and I think the album scratches a wide variety of musical itches. For their first record working with an external producer in John Congleton, the band’s risk payed off and showcases a more polished sound that still holds a captivating punk energy. With songs that serve as points of transition and others that are showstoppers by themselves, Worldwide is an act of balance that commands attention and is certainly worth a listen.
“I really wish you knew… That I only root for you”
Favorites: Company Car, Worldwide, Star 6 9, Pom Pom
Rating: 8.5/10