There’s really no reason to fault Pennsylvania alt rockers Superheaven for wanting to ride the flannel-clad ’90s bandwagon. It’s certainly a nostalgic commodity as of late, sure, but the foursome execute those thick layers of guitar with the least conceit or egotism. Instead of marring their production with slight shoegaze elements, they keep their crisp arrangements muted and poised, letting the songs surge and sway with a more reflective and thoughtful tone.
Superheaven don’t really rage, either — tracks like “Downswing” and “Gushin’ Blood” come close to disrupting the album’s overall mud-tempo chug, while lead singer Taylor Madison airs his grievances with a tuneful voice instead of falling into any aggro dramatics. But it never happens — Ours Is Chrome sternly approaches its dreary mood with just a dash of atmospheric distortion, letting its sepia-toned gloom flourish with a controlled tension. It’s populist KROQ grunge for a new generation, though you get a sense these guys would see that as a compliment.