Deathcruiser - “Superman”

Photo by Jessica Palardy

Nashville-based songwriter Adam Roth, aka Deathcruiser, has just released the wonderfully stripped-back and heartfelt “Superman.”

Though the first third of this song is truly delightful, please do not be fooled by its wonderfully raw production. It might appear as though Roth is simply pounding out what is to be yet another acoustic song– and a good one at that– but this is one of those occasions where a song starts good and only gets better. And once the second third hits, it is simply fantastic.

The beat, the bass– everything is perfectly measured out and made to fit into a seamless production. But the true star of this show is Roth’s voice. The subject matter is quite personal, given that the song marks his fifth anniversary of sobriety, but the lyrics dive into the depths of pretending to be fine in public, yet completely falling apart on the inside– a sensation with which many can empathize, especially artists, and especially as the world tries to go back to ‘normal’ after a pandemic.

But the vocals here are intimate and vulnerable, with the kind of delivery that force you believe them and hang on every syllable. It is obvious that Roth is not simply reading words from a lyric sheet– these have all been cut from his life and when you combine that with his natural talent, it makes for an unforgettable performance.

As the song cruises into its final third, brace yourselves for a sweetly reverberated slide guitar solo, followed by a brief, dynamic break, complete with vocal harmonies. “Superman” is the kind of song that makes you look forward to an artist’s future releases, so if you need us, we’ll be obsessively checking our inbox until that happens.

-TM