GIG OF THE WEEK

SUPERCHUNK w/ GROSS GHOST @ CAT’S CRADLE, CARRBORO

A few weeks ago the Chapel Hill indie-rock icons Superchunk welcomed summer with a new, themed limited-edition single — their first output since 2010’s Majesty Shredding. “Since a new Superchunk album is a ways off, we thought a summer-themed single was at least pitching in a little bit for 2012,” frontman Mac McCaughan said in a press release announcing the record.

The A-side, new song “This Summer,” (stream it below) is a rush of handclaps and ringing fuzz — the kind Superchunk’s built a career on, and which made Majesty Shredding such a bold return to form. Backed by a punchy rhythm section and unhurried guitar solos, the moderately-paced anthem is primed for spilling out of open car windows. Fitting, too, as McCaughan uses the summer road song as a vehicle for leaving behind past worries and regrets. “We’ve got sweaty seats and an ocean view, and it feels like a time machine” he sings, “Well, you can’t forget what you never knew, so come erase this summer with me.” It’s a strong standalone single, which makes the B-side’s “Cruel Summer” even more fraught with novelty risk. Bananarama’s original is a featherweight pop trifle, a time-capsule of 80s synth-gloss now in permanent rotation on VH1 countdown shows. In Superchunk’s hands, though, “Cruel Summer” is a searing pop-punk anthem, suggesting Dangerhouse punk singles and later Ramones cuts.

This single, like Superchunk’s live sets, is a rare treat from a band whose momentum seems never to have waned, even as it’s adopted a more leisurely pace as its members approach middle-age. Tonight’s gig promises a high-octane rush made all the more enticing by the fact that it’s Superchunk’s only scheduled Carolinas date. Plus, Gross Ghost brings infectious, hooky indie rock to its well-paired opening set. —Bryan C. Reed

CALENDAR

July 13

• Mike Tamburo w/ Phil Cook & His Feat @ Nightlight, Chapel Hill
• Fruit Bats w/ Floating Action @ Emerald Lounge, Asheville
• Best Coast w/ Those Darlins @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Carolina Chocolate Drops @ The Handlebar, Greenville, S.C.
• Full of Hell w/ Torch Runner, Veda Woolf @ The Milestone, Charlotte
• Hammer No More the Fingers (EP release) @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• Surfer Blood @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Jackson Browne @ Belk Theatre, Charlotte
• MV & EE @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Flagship @ Local 506, Carrboro
• Sunshone Still w/ The Sea Wolf Mutiny, Elonzo @ Conundrum, Columbia

July 14

• Mike Scheidt w/ Nate Hall @ Static Age, Asheville
• Hammer No More the Fingers @ Satellite Bar & Lounge, Wilmington
• Inner Mountain: Contemporary Free Folk Festival (w/ Dredd Foole, MV & EE, more)@ Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Blossoms w/ Chester Endersby Gwazda, Bamboo, Kill Your Mules @ The Milestone, Charlotte
• Diali Cissokho & Kairaba! @ Soapbox, Wilmington
• Jackson Browne w/ Sara Watkins @ Belk Theatre, Charlotte
• All Get Out @ Radio Room, Greenville, S.C.
• Glass Vaults w/ Pan @ Conundrum, Columbia

July 15

• Nicolay w/ The Hot At Nights @ Emerald Lounge, Asheville
• MV & EE w/ Herbcraft, Snake @ Nightlight, Chapel Hill
• Surfer Blood w/ Left Outlet @ Kings, Raleigh
• Ed Schrader’s Music Beat w/ Bo White @ The Milestone, Charlotte
• Jackson Browne @ North Charleston performing Arts Center, Charleston
• Eternal Summers w/ Crocodiles @ Cats Cradle, Carrboro

July 16

• Andy the Doorbum @ The Handlebar, Greenville, S.C.

July 17

• Chuck Prophet @ Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh
• Jackson Browne @ Peace Center Concert Hall, Greenville, S.C.
• Sleigh Bells @ Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh

July 18

• Mike Scheidt w/ Nate Hall @ Kings, Raleigh
• Tres Hongos @ Conundrum, Columbia
• Midtown Dickens @ Duke Gardens, Durham
• Gross Ghost Pizza Party @ Kings Barcade, Raleigh