Superheaven

History

The band began as Daylight early in 2008 and issued a debut EP, Sinking, in 2009 through Get This Right Records; that release was a remixed and remastered version of their demo. A second EP, Dispirit, came out in 2010 on Six Feet Under Records, followed by The Difference in Good and Bad Dreams in 2012 via Run for Cover Records, alongside an acoustic EP. Their first full-length album, Jar, appeared in April 2013 on Run for Cover and reached number 184 on the US Billboard 200.

Alternative Press included the band on a list of 39 up-and-coming acts to watch before 2013 ended. After a legal dispute with a Spanish band also named Daylight, they changed their name to Superheaven in early 2014; guitarist and vocalist Taylor Madison stated that their musical direction and lineup stayed the same. Later that year they signed to SideOneDummy Records and released their second album, Ours Is Chrome, in May 2015. In mid-2015 Superheaven toured North America with Diamond Youth and Rozwell Kid to promote the album.

After that tour the band stopped full-time activity. Ours Is Chrome, recorded in October 2014 with producer Will Yip, represented a period of growth; Madison said the band had a clearer vision for their sound and songwriting compared to Jar. Madison and Clarke formed Webbed Wing in 2017, releasing their debut album Bike Ride Across the Moon in 2019. Robbins started DARK MTNS with Gunk's Josh Mackie, putting out Up Above This Cloud in 2017, and also played in Flight Habit.

Kane largely left music to run a carpentry business called Cliffside Carpenter. The band played several one-off reunion shows: a secret set in December 2017 with Tigers Jaw and Turnstile for a Philabundance charity event organized by Will Yip, a March 2018 show benefiting Planned Parenthood at The Other Side in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, and dates with Balance and Composure on their final tour in 2019.

Musical style and influences

Critics have described Superheaven's music as grunge, emo, alternative rock, post-hardcore, and soft grunge, and the band was central to the emo revival. Taylor Madison rejected the shoegaze label, saying in a 2015 interview that he did not think they sounded like My Bloody Valentine. The band has cited influences including Bayside, Hot Water Music, Boys Night Out, Far, Hum, the Pixies, and Weezer. In a 2024 interview Madison said he tends to be more influenced by friends' music than by listening to much music himself. Superheaven have been named as an influence by Pity Sex, Milk Teeth, Glare, Split Chain, Modern Error, and Quannnic.