Superorganism, the global octet now based out of East London, thanks to the internet forums that originally brought them together has released their full-length self-titled debut album. Creating unique soundscapes of organic instrumentation harmonized with sound effects and a cornucopia of synth patterns, the band strives for a sound transcendent of any one style or era. Their inspirations extend across decades. G-funk synths can be heard on “Everybody Wants to Be Famous,” and “It’s All Good” is reminiscent of Bruno Mars’ “Lazy Song.”

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Via their own indie-pop rebellion, Superorganism constructively encourages social engagement and cooperation. This doesn’t come without first outlining their gripes with society however. “Everybody Wants to Be Famous” predictably underscores modern humanity’s shameless individual desire for fame and validation, a desire which goes unchecked because “nobody’s ashamed.”

Superorganism flippantly highlights the worst of individual closed-mindedness on “The Prawn Song.” The song itself is a fantastical dream about becoming a prawn. Prawns, like “bees or ants” work together in groups with specialized sub groups and individuals. “Have you ever seen a prawn cause a world war?” Orono asks rhetorically. When she wakes up from the day dream she realizes just how far fetched the idea seems, and how the “world’s gone crazy” in comparison.

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With self-awareness, Orono sings admission to falling for the trap of digital entrapment on “Night Time.” She makes mention to algorithmically determined feeds, “Facebook propaganda,” which turns her router into a “candle” that “ignites her ignorance.” She sees now that this was the intended result of her social media involvement, though she liked the “blue brittleness” of it.

The band interprets this hyperactive self-absorption and passivity through the lens of insecurity and social anxiety; straight-forwardly, toxic interaction is highly accessible. The tracks that bookend “Everybody Wants to Be Famous,” “Nobody Cares” and “It’s All Good,” quell the stress of destructive interaction. Superorganism means to empower themselves and others, “you’re in charge of what you feel,” express yourself, “when your life is looking grim it’s time to scream” – “have a drink have a smoke, do whatever you need.”

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The prevalence of social technology, while potentially harmful, has a great deal of potential. Quality interaction must be scoured for online. As already mentioned, the band originally connected across continents through internet music forums. For characters like the lead singer, Orono, she finds that while she’s sometimes unable to leave the house, “[the internet] makes [her] feel alive, sat in bed [inspired] by the light.” She experiences a dissolving separation between the individual and the collective. On “Sprorgnsm,” a warbling robotic voice says, “it’s no longer clear where one human ends and another begins […] you are me and I am you.”

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An interest in merging the organic and the technical is reflected in musical style. “Sprorgnsm” for example uses numerous instruments and sounds that are processed to the point where it’s unclear what sounds originate from where. This mixing mimics the flow of ideas on the internet. Sources are unintelligible, and information bleeds into zeitgeist.

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The idea of the collective as a unit, and overcoming the fear of becoming a part of one, drive the remainder of the album home. The argument for entering a collective mind, as Orono herself as by being a part of Superorganism, begins on “Something for Your M.I.N.D.” She talks about her life: “this sucks, I’m the K-mart soda [clerk].” But she works a miserable job because she “needs food, how about a barbeque? / For us, the bourgeoisie.” Because, honestly, what would an experimental post-modern collectivist record be without a dash of Marxism.