REVIEW: Super Sometimes - Show The World What's Underneath

In an instant, we’ve been catapulted back to the golden years of late-90s/00s pop-punk thanks to SUPER SOMETIMES, a Gen Z pop-punk band that pays homage to the bands that clearly inspired them to create the boisterous and nostalgic album Show The World What’s Underneath, released via Pure Noise Records on 15th May. After a tumultuous 2025 that saw a name change, record deal and first album, the San Diego-based trio have already high-kicked into this summer with a support slot on ARM’S LENGTH immense US tour, alongside CALLOUS DAOBOYS and HARRISON GORDON, their album release date in the middle of this career-boosting tour, not to mention taking the stage at June’s Warped Tour in Washington, DC, the homing beacon for pop-punk fans worldwide.

They may be strapped in for a rocketing year ahead, but Show The World What’s Underneath is a testament to the band’s whole ethos of 'growing up in real time', a sentiment shared throughout the genre. They’ve had to deal with industry fears and roadblocks, as well as growing up in the current world (particularly the US) and chasing their destined future, all while trying to prove this really isn’t a phase. They’ve stayed true to themselves, their lyrics relatable and their attitudes humble and energetic, laid over riotously enjoyable riffs and beats.

Opening track Afterthought is reminiscent of PARAMORE’s Riot!, its belting riffs and frenzied drums assuring you from the first note you’re in for a damn good time here, while Make Up Stories continues the upbeat vibes, drummer Matthew Ludwig briefly dropping to a lone beat before dual vocalists and guitarists Gabriel Muñoz and Dylan Guzma collide back in with a mix of riffs and defiant vocals.

Always You’s rhythm doesn’t stick to the expected, switching back and forth and representing all the best parts of pop-punk in its slowed down, stripped back moments, rising notes, and fiery breakdown, as Muñoz and Guzma overlay each other in a push/pull of emotion and demands of the song. Learned My Lesson is a classic feel-good, body-jumping tune with moving lyrics, you’re not sure whether to dance or stare at the walls and process the words, until the sudden piano trills break you out of the sad trance. See This Coming overflows with the indignation of losing someone and knowing it’s for the best but man does it still suck, the bitter and biting words rising over catchy riffs and a crashing drum beat, giving a STATE CHAMPS feel to its attitude and sound.

The title track Show The World What’s Underneath switches the album into a slightly heavier feel, the fury echoing through the amped up guitars and pulsing bass as Muñoz and Guzma layer their vocals before the track drops into a blistering breakdown of prolonged screams. Spend is a deceptively enjoyable and rapid-paced track where the band are clearly having the time of their lives playing, particularly Ludwig thrashing at his kit, while the message speaks of overcoming difficulties and still holding your head up, “it’s not hard to not quit and walk away from this”, certainly feeling like a reflection on sticking to their guns to perform and make music in an industry that grows tougher every year. Common Place slows compared to its fellow tracks, a more poignant sound that’s giving BLINK 182 meets MAGNOLIA PARK, where the lyrics call for a time that just can’t be returned to, as synths and strings ring in the background, a musical addition SUPER SOMETIMES experimented more with on this album in subtle but effective ways.

Firing back in with renewed vigour, Medicine has an absolutely bone-rattling bass line that intersects with acidic lyrics, pulsating beats, and riffs that drive over the speed limit, the breakdown guaranteed to draw the crowd into a huge mosh-turned-dance pit. Prophet closes out the album and is the most viciously sung and ferociously sounding track for certain, Muñoz and Guzma harmonising hoarse yells of “all respect I had for you, you fucking lost it”, descending into a dual riff and solo as Ludwig unleashes hell on the drums. It’s a song to cathartically throw yourself around to whilst screaming the words back to the band.

With a fired up 2026 on the cards that will pave the way for their future, Show The World What’s Underneath feels like an open reflection of how committed SUPER SOMETIMES are to their craft, taking their inspirations and adding their own flair and fervour. Their sound is welcomingly nostalgic for the older emos and punks, but there’s something else in it, a fresh spark that has juice to grow into a blaze.

Score: 8/10

Show The World What’s Underneath will be released on 15th May 2026 via Pure Noise Records.

Words: Julia Stark

Photos: AJ Loera