IN REVIEW: Mac McCaughan - "Non-Believers"

It feels improbable that, over a quarter century after starting Superchunk (and Merge Records), Non-Believers marks Mac McCaughan's first proper solo album. Maybe it's due to the six records he's released under the Portastatic moniker; he's always seemed to have an outlet outside his primary group. Regardless, this is the one that gets his given name on it and, as such, it's an intimate and personal effort.

Non-Believers trades in the slacker guitar buzz of Superchunk's records for new wave synth pop, but it's not to the songs' detriment; in a way, McCaughan's songs have always skirted the edges of '80s post punk while working in some power pop aesthetic. It's not like he's U-turned on his own sound, and one listen to Our Way Free while mentally substituting the sputtering synth for stuttering guitar will make that much clear.

It's tempting to write solo records like this off as vanity projects, but Non-Believers feels like a natural extension of McCaughan's talents and vision. When it all comes together, as it does so beautifully on the pulsing, electric Box Batteries, the gloomy, goth-tinged Lost Again and the jangly, nimble Barely There, it's joyous.

I can't say whether or not Non-Believers will bring over any new converts to McCaughan and/or Superchunk, but the familiarly sharp songwriting and pre-grunge nostalgia ensure that the faithful are well rewarded.

May 5, 2015 • Merge

Highlights Our Way Free • Box Batteries • Lost Again