I Should Coco

Tearing by at a breakneck speed, I Should Coco is a spectacularly eclectic debut by Supergrass, a trio barely out of their teens. Sure, the unbridled energy of the album illustrates that the band is young, yet what really illustrates how young the bandmembers are is how they borrow from their predecessors. Supergrass treat the Buzzcocks, the Beatles, Elton John, David Bowie, Blur, and Madness as if they were all the same thing -- they don't make any distinction between what is cool and what isn't, they just throw everything together. Consequently, the jittery "Caught by the Fuzz" slams next to the music hall rave-up "Mansize Rooster," the trippy psychedelia of "Sofa (Of My Lethargy)," the heavy stomp of "Lenny," and the bona fide teen anthem "Alright." I Should Coco is the sound of adolescence, but performed with a surprising musical versatility that makes the record's exuberant energy all the more infectious.

I wont jump on the bandwagon and bash Oasis here, but Supergrass were criminally underrated and deserved just as much hype as the top 4 britpop bands. This is a gem.

Some good bri-ish pop on a chewsday innit

I like this a lot due to the fact that i am trash.

I’m old enough that teenage me bought their debut single ‘Caught by the Fuzz’ on “Cassingle” the week it came out, because the NME told me to. (A ‘cassingle’ is a portmanteau of the words ‘cassette’ and ‘single’ that the record industry tried to make a thing for a while. You can google what a cassette is). I remember the NME review saying something about it being the sort of song where you’d find the CD (or cassingle) down the back of your sofa in a few years time and it would still sound great. I think they were implying that Supergrass would be a bit of a one-hit wonder so they didn’t really get that bit right, but they were spot on about the song still sounding good 25 years later. My opinion of this album is probably too influenced by the memory of teenage hormones and youthful naivety to be particularly objective, but I love it and it was a great journey down memory lane. On a side note, about a year and a half ago I saw Gaz Coombes play a free gig near my house, at the opening of a small bridge that doesn’t go anywhere (true story). He’s still great so I’d definitely recommend going and seeing him play, if there are any small, pointless bridges being opened within walking distance of your house.

This is exactly the sort of experience I was hoping for with the 1001 albums project. A band I had never heard of whose music was right in my wheelhouse. I had heard their single on the radio many years ago but the whole album is a banger. 4.5/5 stars

Another new band and album! My first spin was a weak half-listen in which I prematurely dropped this trio into a pop punk category that I typically have no time for. But thankfully after a deeper listen, I was awakened to the radical statement that is "I Should Coco". After needing to calm down from I'd Like To Know, Caught By The Fuzz, and Mansize Rooster, the fourth song, Alright, helped me to really taste the British flavour and artistic ingredients with a fresh palette. What first felt simple transformed into a complex mutation of themes and sounds including bells, strings, organs, drums, and more. I am so stoked to have learned of this playful rock album! That is one of the wonderful truths about full albums - the more intentional the listen, the more you begin to hear. These strikingly manic mood shifts span a much broader spectrum than realized, and the musicianship & creativity is far more diverse. I really dig Strange Ones and the surprise harmonica in Time! While I truly appreciate every single song on the record, The Sofa Of My Lethargy showcases the breadth of writing and instrumentation that I missed the first time around. At the end, Time To Go is a pleasantly Beatlesque surprise desert to conclude the 13 course meal! ** I taste notes of Supergrass in Cage The Elephant, The Lemon Twigs and The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets? **I also was reminded how easily we can label or judge things before we know anything about them. Music is always a guiding light for me in this area.

Alright

This has to be one of the worst album covers of all time. That transgression aside, this record is better than just about every other British alternative record I’ve encountered on this list thus far. It at least has some aggression…some chutzpah, if you will. They’re playing with a sense of urgency and reckless abandon unlike any of their mid-90’s British compatriots. That album cover is absolutely terrible, though… the dog’s breakfast. Bad enough that I wouldn’t even consider buying this album if I saw it in the store without having heard the music. I guess that’s why they say not to judge a book by its cover.

This was one of the first albums I ever bought, when I was eleven. I genuinely loved Alright when it came out, though I preferred Lenny. Indeed, I even had a pair of rudimentary sideburns aged 11 (though in fairness I've somehow always had a pair of Sidney Sideboards ever since I was about 8; I didn't spurt into puberty especially prematurely, I just always had sideburns). Now, I have no problem with me loving this album as kid, but how would I respond to it as a 30something? Very warmly, it turned out. We have here an amiable, sincere yet playful and funloving record. It's an adolescent record (indeed, children liked Supergrass), but thankfully focuses on the carefree happiness of your first spliff and your first caress of a bosom, rather than 28 tracks about self-harming and hanging round cemeteries. To add a note on the album's eclecticism, I Should Coco has a intriguing number of different styles. Yes, these styles aren't jarringly different from each other, forming part of the standard canon of British indie rock (Beatles, Kinks, Who, Clash, Jam, Smiths, Stone Roses etc.), but Supergrass' embrace of them feels organic, as if they actually just like those bands, rather than out of a need to brag about their record collection (looking at you Spiritualized, Primal Scream and Radiohead). It's a pleasing, natural variance that doesn't reek of showiness. Basically, not a duff track, and that's great enough.

I was definitely losing interest during some tracks, but then just as I was about to note the track name down, they would change up the rhythm or instrumentation to grab my attention again and this was a running theme. I would say that I only really knew of ‘alright’ from this album before listening, and that track is probably the worst representation of what this album provides. This is classic brit-pop playfulness mixed with some rather Jammy basslines, solid riffy guitar work and a buttload of energy that tails off gently towards the albums final tracks. Quite mature themes for a band in their teens. Will probably come back to this album for long summer road trips or getting ready for a rowdy night on the tiles.

It's just a fun album. Distinctly of its era in the 90s. I surprised this one has passed my by until now. Lots of variation in the songs. Lots of energy in the first half of the album, and then it slows down in the latter half and has some more noticeable instrumentation. There's a little bit of Beatles in this album. Fun pop music that you can still take seriously. I imagine this band would have been awesome to see live during this era 4/5

Ah, air-heady positive wholesome indie fun. Not wholesome in a twee moth-eaten sort of way, but in a youthful exhuberant summery sort of way. Two well-known tracks to sing along to, and the rest zips along with fresh speed. More than a three? No

Things I was doing in 1995: - playing a lot of NHL '94. - touring with a band in the back of a van around the northeastern US. - eating poorly. - holding down a tech support job during the day which funded the rest of said list. Things I was not doing in 1995: listening to pop/punk. So I missed this one although kind of surprising considering how embedded I (thought I) was into the current music scene, almost by necessity. I do like the songs "Alright" and "Time To Go" - nice melodies - the keys on Alright are a nice instrumental change-up and Time To Go is a great pace slowdown from the rest of the album but on the whole it is not in my wheelhouse, being fast-paced shouty punk-ish music. I'll give a nod to the fact that it's much more melodic than I might have expected but its never-ending frenetic pace is just too much for me. This one I can see how others would like but not my cup of tea (tea very much a pointed analogy. they're British? get it? of course you do.). 4/10 2 stars.

Wank. Apart from the anthemic "We Are Young" there's not much to set this apart from any of the sub standard 90s Brit pop. The heavier numbers however, do make them sound like a bit of a British Green Day which isn't a compliment btw.

Gosh, this is fun. I love the energy of this album. Catchy and tuneful, but also totally rocks. Starts fun and punchy, ends sweetly. This is Britpop masterfully done. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Sofa (of My Lethargy), Time, Alright, Time to Go, Mansize Rooster, Lose It, She's So Loose, Caught by the Fuzz, Sitting Up Straight, We're Not Supposed To, Lenny, Strange Ones, I'd Like to Know

i love this shieeet

Enjoyed second half of album more. Reminds me of Buzzcocks but slightly more melodic with more accessible grooves.

Why album generator, do you insist on giving me albums that are terrible? Punk/ska. Really? I couldn’t listen to this.

I recall enjoying a lot of Supergrass in college.. Still fun occasionally as an adult. 3.5.

Britpop at it's peak and it totally rules. Just such a large sound being used to the full extent of it's abilities. It feels like they frontloaded all the good songs though, because it ends up losing some steam after Lenny. Still worth a full listen though; the Britpop history is a fascinating one which I'm happy to explore outside of the usual Blur and Oasis records.

meh, Supergrass is another band for people that like shit like U2 and DMB.

Meh. I couldn't get through a single playthrough. I have got to believe that there are at least 1001 albums in the world better than this one. Sure, I recognized 'Alright', but it sounded nothing like the rest of the album. If that was the only song that got this album on the list, then I'm really lost. I did appreciate that the related wikipedia page taught me about cockney rhyming slang, so at least I've got that going for me.

Wake me up, before you coco. 5/5

If the Kinks went heavy. A breath of fresh air.

I like the noises that are happening

A fantastic debut album that is brim full of energy and swagger. The album catches the youth and raw sound best in the string of fast flowing songs at the start of the album including the classics of Mansize Rooster, caught by the fuzz, and Lenny. There is also time to slow it down with the Beatlesesque last couple of tracks. Top track: Caught by The Fuzz

Energetic, obnoxious. The type of Britpop I want more of.

Another on the list of "this is a great debut album". Fun, well done, and a cohesive sound throughout. Good listen.

Fun and erudite guitar pop that I missed out on due to Britpop’s emetic discourse. Glimpses of other bands, never mimicry, more result of close listening and good taste. “Mansize Rooster” is outstanding in its shifts of mode. “She’s So Loose” has a vibe I can’t pin down - the title teases the crass, the delivery is moody and unknowable.

Another one I loved at the time but hadn't heard in ages - seems obvious now but they were the Britpop T. Rex.; short and sweet; heavy and tuneful. What a great album full of bangers, thrilled to have seen them play most of this in a fairly-empty Mercury Lounge back at CMJ in 1995 (and gigged with them when they were The Jennifers even earlier). Top notch, and they made some other good albums but I don't think they were quite this exciting again

What is the perfect barometer for a person’s snobbishness, elitist music taste, and all-round dickishness? Take it from me: it’s their response to hearing Supergrass for the first time. Let me tell you a story- in my final days of university, things were finally starting to work out with an absolutely beautiful girl who I’d had a crush on for three years. It was the day we’d just completed our final exams, and we spent that afternoon in our own perfect bubble, hanging out in the rafters of one of the drama studios, playing each other some of our favourite songs through the PA. At some point in the day, she cued up Supergrass’s “Mansize Rooster”. She nestled up close to me, bopping her head along and telling me how brilliant it was that the band were only fifteen when they wrote it. My response? To sniff “…yes, you can tell.” Perhaps the band’s frenetic brand of guitar-based Britpop didn’t gel with my idea of a romantic afternoon. Perhaps I was feeling whiplash from the abrupt tempo changes and mistook it for amateurish songwriting. Perhaps I was just bitter that my teenage years were well and truly over, and none of them had been spent topping the charts or releasing seminal albums. Overall, it’s no surprise that I was wrong to sniff: “I Should Coco” is a fantastic album. While other albums from the Britpop age may have remained more in cultural consciousness (Oasis) or aged better artistically (Blur, or Pulp) “I Should Coco” remains a generational classic. Rather than gently easing the listener in, it hits the ground galloping with “I’d Like To Know”, forcing us to join the band’s pace. “Caught by the Fuzz”, “Lenny”, and yes, “Mansize Rooster”, are adrenaline fuelled, sharp yet sugary rock classics. Gaz Coombes’ rapid fire vocals in “Sitting Up Straight” - nigh-on impossible to sing along to - are genuinely impressive. Elsewhere, “We’re Not Supposed To”, with its daft helium vocals and cutesy delivery, is a convincing “Hunky Dory”-era Bowie tribute. Even “Alright”, a song that soundtracked the decade and would eventually grate on even the band from sheer overexposure, has its place here. The band don’t turn their hand to many other styles or ideas- there are no convincing ballads here, for example- but it’s so flippant and fun that it’s probably for the best. As for the band’s legacy… fear not! There are some happy endings in the world: thirty years on from “I Should Coco”’s release, the band still enjoy critical renown and have reformed to play the album in full to rejoicing Britpoppers old and young. And seven years on from that fateful afternoon in the rafters of the drama studio, that beautiful girl is still by my side, living through the days with me, and we had a joyful time listening to “I Should Coco” ahead of this review. “Alright” indeed!

It’s like.. on the verge of being amazing. But not quite. I liked it a lot though.

This was overall pretty enjoyable. Favorite track: "Mansize Rooster," probably.

High energy album with a lot of cool riffs.

Surprisingly good. High energy fast paced music, and a hint of Beatles so you don't have too much fun. Liked Lose It the most

I Should Coco is collection of fun, catchy pop songs, which are done in a variety of styles. This was Supergrass's first album, and the members were all teenagers when the album recorded. These songs are teenage anthems - celebrations of the joy and frustration of youth. That said, these songs are not juvenile or simplistic. The songs are interesting and varied, showing the band's wide range of influences and surprising range.

I had to go back and gave it a second run-through just to be sure but it turns out, this is a pretty good album. I started skeptical but, the more I listened to it the more I ended up really digging it. The songs are fun, the production is great, and the guitar tones are truly exceptional. I'm honestly shocked that this wasn't on my radar before now.

Didn't get through it

I didn’t love the heavier songs and intensity at the start, but the star single I know really well and actually really enjoyed the more mellow back half. Probably won’t come back to this as it didn’t really move me

I enjoyed 'Alright,' but ironically, the rest of the album was just alright.

I have already reviewed Supergrass' subsequent album 'Only In It For The Money', which I damned with faint praise as "adequate", bordering on "fine". It was a dull record that wasted my time. Truth be told, I was kind of expecting the same from this record too. What a surprise then to hear a lean and energetic album that rips along at a cracking pace, full of youthful vigour, enthusiasm and some great sing-along pop tunes. I was surprised to realise how many songs I remember from being on the radio at the time. The material is largely the concerns of being a teenager (appropriate, given the lead singer was only about 19). I love that the album doesn't outstay it's welcome. The singles, especially Alright and Caught by the Fuzz are bangers, but most of the songs are quick blasts of tuneful enthusiasm ,which I can get behind. Clearly recorded quickly and without over-working the material, it captures the rush of a young band bashing out a bunch of songs just for the fun of it. Pop music really should be music by young people for young people (nosin' around, nosin' around) about young people's concerns, and this album really nails the brief. Is it an essential album? Hmm, not really, but it was certainly fun to listen to. The one criticism I could make is that Sofa (Of My Lethargy) is a waste of time, just unfocussed studio experimentation. And 6 minutes long on album where most tracks are under 3 minutes. If you cut Sofa, you would have a 12 song, 34 minute album that would probably be a classic. But, as it stands, I'm awarding 3 stars.

Quite good. Quite fun. Full of youth.

This felt like a record that would have come out in 2005, not 1995. Was a fun, but not amazing listen.

Top end of a 3, this one. Really liked the energy and had a bit of edge to it. I really don't like Alright though, find it really grating despite its popularity!  Can definitely tell that loads of the indie bands from the early 200s listened to stuff like this, it's definitely got more attitude and oomph than most Britpop (but it's not as catchy as Oasis or as clever as Pulp).

Unimpressed.

Imagine “They Might be Giants” but British and on Meth ….

Rightio chaps we’ve just about finished our 1990s Britpop album of songs that sound borderline identical, I think somethings missing though… Any ideas? How about a couple of slower acoustic tracks to show off our year 11 guitar class instrumental chops? Great idea Gaz! Studio says we need one more track though. How about one where we put a weird pitch up on the vocal track so we sound like pubescent Alvin and the chipmunks? Oh that’s a cracker idea Mick! That’s a wrap on this one fellas, pass the ketamine

This one was all over the place for me, first half sounded all the same and once the second half kicked in it got better. Was some song about pedos trying to make love to someone even if they're too young or something. Anyway just more British shit but not flaming hot garbo. Instrumentals were pretty alright but the vocalist was jaring. 2/5

Well this was a bit of fun, but I'm not really a fan. A bit of British garage rock that has lost its garage-ness? I feel like they rode the alternative and Britpop bandwagons. Good on them for getting their shot. This would probably get the pub singing along after 6 pints of Heineken. I don't really like his voice. 2 stars.

the songs are catchy but I kind of hate them?

feel like i’m stuck in the intro to multiple different early 2000’s tv shows

I just can't listen to this today.

Twee British Chumbawumba-ass one-hit album

Not as smart or edgy as it thinks it is. Big deal, so they like weed. Who doesn't?

Didn't evoke anything.

“I Should Coco” by Supergrass (1995) Well, this is fun. In the genre of unserious rock, this competent trio entertains the listener with artfully executed shallowness. It can be described as thin slices of nothing you’ve never heard before, pasted together with deliberate incoherence, producing an overall effect of “Oh, what the hell.” Musically, we have up tempo compositions with good rhythm guitar, better bass, and not quite so good drums. Lyrics are frequently an inscrutable pastiche of conversational tidbits that don’t quite rise to the level of wit—but that’s okay, because this is all about fun anyway. Lots of lyrical references to what is “strange”, indicating both a fixation and a certain naive lust for life, but hey, these are kids. The track “Strange Ones” is almost interesting. Along with “Sitting Up Straight”, it’s a song that starts off with musical potential before quickly crashing back into unalloyed silliness. I enjoyed listening to this, but I don’t think I’ll ever listen to it again. 2/5

FUCKING POP PUNK GO AND SHIT YOURELF IN A BUSH

If you were to tell a computer to take 1,000 punk records from the 90s-00s and make a new punk record that is the exact average of all those, it would be this record. The most formulaic, by-the-number punk record with absolutely nothing of note here whatsoever

Fuck is a Britpop?

You wanna talk about being won over in the first second? I know I'm not the only one who didn't know what to expect coming into this album. I mean, lookit those faces on the cover — the hell is that wojak in the middle? And the whole thing being stylized like some old sort of 50's record? The heck **is** this thing? I hadn't a Scooby-Doo. I know we ain't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but goodness me — what a cover. But even if I didn't have any expectations, I know I had my guess. "This is another 'British album,' innit?" Y'know what I'm talking about: the albums from the UK that you've never heard of in your life, but just because some Big Important Critics™ happened to go nuts over it back in the day, it's suddenly something you're "supposed" to listen to. It's a perspective I **try** to refrain from, since I often find myself annoyed by reviews that just go "GRRR BRITISH" and give a 1 ... though it's not like there aren't times where I can't help myself. And going by the cover, I was preparing myself from some real "I don't give a shit" shit — just in case. Which is what made the first second of this album even more of a surprise. This book labels this album as rock, indie and Britpop. But y'know what it **doesn't** list this album as, that I think it should? **Punk**. This is some youthful, energetic as hell Britpop punk. Seriously, I can't tell you how taken aback I was by how hard that first second hit, and in the best way possible. It's ... oh, it was so good. Sort of incredible, honestly. This is the kind of album that hits the floor **absolutely sprinting** and refuses to hold the energy down. I mean, right after the album starts like **that**, suddenly it throws **those keys** in your face? Oh, **that** is a good key sound! And you're giving it to me on **track one**? You're too generous! And I'll mention, it's not like **every** song on this album is punk, by "classical definition." There's actually a nice switch up of styles between songs, I think particularly on the back half. But it's the **energy** that's what's real important here. The youthful punk energy. It makes every song just as enjoyable as the last. There wasn't a single moment where I wasn't having a good time. Maybe some of the pitched-up bookending "We're Not Supposed To" wasn't exactly my thing, but the song in the middle sure as hell made up for it. And then it's followed up by "Time"? And "Sofa (Of My Lethargy)"? With **more** keys? Oh, stop spoiling me! Y'know, I don't tend to blame myself too hard for whenever I wince seeing a British album pop up. For one, I'm geographically north of being a dumb septic. Even though we shared a queen, of course I was way more up on the American music scene that anything goin' on in jolly ol' England. And besides, second, it sometimes feels like these albums are being included at the expense of literally anything else from anywhere else in the world. Seriously, when your only three "origin" labels are "US", "UK" and, seriously, "other"... But I gotta give it to Supergrass, they're one British album that absolutely deserves to be here. People should actually listen to this one; I think it's too energetic and fun not to. Maybe it won't win **you** over in the first second like it did me — but give it a shot. If the first second doesn't work, maybe the second will. Or the third. Or however many after that. All I know is, to me at least it's worth every one. And I hope you can come to coco as well.

Might not have been as popular as Blur or Oasis, but this is still some damn good British punk. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

Yeah, that’s a 5. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, but color me surprised. I think these guys might’ve made something that’s just as enjoyable as “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?”, though obviously not as impactful. This album feels like taking an amalgamation of a bunch of 60s/70s British styles, and giving them a bit of a Britpop update, and it works remarkably well. The energy from the instrumentals & their vocals is deeply infectious, especially with the punch of the percussion & a lot of the guitar / keyboard melodies leading the way. It helps that these tracks are generally fast as hell, working at breakneck tempos that bring an energy that’s reminiscent of Oasis, yet still managing to channel more of a Beatles-y vibe on some tracks, and shades of the Sex Pistols on others, and that’s underselling just how many different singers/bands I was reminded of throughout this thing. This album doesn’t discriminate in terms of styles, with every track feeling different, yet still in the same instrumental base, to keep a sense of continuity throughout. If I have any complaints towards it, it’s that I think the lyricism doesn’t quite have the depth it could have on a number of tracks, with just one looping verse & a chorus to carry the track. It’s especially noticeable around tracks 5-11, and perhaps most bothersome on “Time”, with just loose fragments of lines present throughout the track. There are some tracks that really do have fully structured verses though, and I really liked those. Overall, the instrumental energy / vocal delivery of these tracks manage to keep the album from ever really hitting a lull point – even when I was finally starting to notice the looping lyrics, I found it never really affected my enjoyment of the album. Besides, this is a 19-year-old, a 21-year-old, & a 26-year old, managing to make this type of layered, rich, youthful expression of an album. I can let some of their songwriting slide, since they’re just trying to capture their own vivacity in musical form, without a real regard for the “picturesque” nature of it all. The lines they did come up with are still pretty good, so I won’t blame them for saying “good enough” and letting them loop. I don’t want to really go indepth for a track through track analysis here, so here’s some scattered notes: “sort of a Teen Titans vibe”, “don’t be a snitch”, “Travis McCoy, you fucking fraud”, “total ball of energy”, “What the fuck did Lenny do?”, “Is there a subway between Earth & Hell?”, “fine, I’ll sit up straight, damn”, “rather Beatles-y”, “they sound like South Park characters”, “really nice surprise harmonica”, “this feels like a prog interlude”, & “we need more goodbye tracks”. If nothing else, this all just means I was engaged with the album throughout, and I think it’s an album worth engaging with. It is a fast 40 minutes, and a super enjoyable one at that – I’m very glad it’s on the list, and I’m very excited to get their other album on the list somewhere down the line. Hopefully, that one is just as good, but this one is a very easy 5 to my ears.

Riktigt roligt! Kanske tar jag i för mycket, men vafan!

This one is full of fun and energy. Good sound and diversity and it doesn't fall off. Alright is such a fun one

cool

Surprisingly fantastic album

At a certain point a few years back, I decided that it was no longer worth my time follow new releases as closely as I did in the past. Anything worth hearing, I resolved, would make its way to me eventually but there was no need to rush. That, unfortunately, led me to become fairly insulated, only listening to the same stuff over and over ad nauseum, and it got boring. But I still wasn’t willing to put in the effort to look into every hyped up new release. So, my compromise was to dig into the past, exploring the already extant discographies of artists from yesterday. Sure enough, this has been pretty damn fulfilling for me, as I've found a veritable treasure trove of awesome shit that has just been sitting there for decades, waiting for me to find it. Weirdly, most of it was British and from the 90s. If I remember 2025 for nothing else, I will still think of it as the year I got, like, super into Britpop (my eventual Definitely Maybe review is going to be LONG), finding what came out of the UK in the early-mid-90s to be the first "movement" to match my love of what came out of CBGB in the mid-late-70s. Even before that, though, Supergrass had existed on the periphery of my awareness for quite some time. I first heard "Alright" after it was sampled by, of all people, Travie McCoy on that album that I had on iTunes for some reason back in 2010. Aside from that tangential connection, these dudes truly came onto my radar a few months ago and my immense enjoyment of this album was probably the single biggest direct factor that led me to pitch doing this project. I think it’s a pretty regular occurrence when talking about rock music (particularly older rock music) to hear about how impressive it is that x artist recorded y album when he was “only z years old” but it’s pretty fun to hear an album that unmistakably sounds like it was recorded by a bunch of young people and could only have been recorded by a bunch of young people. Gaz and his goofy sideburns were 17 when they started recording and you can tell; it's just got that energy, exuberance, hopefulness, feeling of invincibility, whatever you want to call it. It's infectious; Steven Spielberg saw the "Alright" music video and offered to produce a Monkees style television show, a veritable Sliding Doors moment if ever there was one. Over on channel.WAV, circa 9/12/2025, I said, "Supergrass has a remarkable ability to make me feel nostalgia for things that had no part in my own childhood." I don't know if that reads like as high of a compliment as I intend it to be, but I can listen to this thing and capture fleeting glimpses of feelings I haven't had since I was a kid. That's something truly magical. But, fleeting is the key word. The back half of the album sees whimsy give way to wistfulness and songs that have more of a melancholic vibe. I Should Coco is all the feelings of growing up packed into 40 minutes.

Supergrass’s I Should Coco landed in 1995 — the same year as The Bends, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. In other words, the absolute peak of mid-’90s alternative rock. Yet somehow, these barely-twentysomething lads from Oxford — Gaz Coombes was only nineteen — managed to release the best-selling British debut since Please Please Me. Not bad company, even if Supergrass would never reach Beatles-level myth. This record is, simply put, a riot. A hyperactive, 40-minute burst of unfiltered joy — as effective against gloom as Sinatra’s Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! but delivered through a wall of guitars, grins, and caffeine. Wikipedia dutifully lists The Buzzcocks, The Jam, Madness, and The Kinks as influences, but the lineage feels more Small Faces than Jam, more Who than Kinks. Danny Goffey drums like he’s had three espressos too many and worships Keith Moon; Mick Quinn’s bass lines bounce and punch like John Entwistle in a sugar rush. And yet, I Should Coco isn’t about heritage or reference points — it’s about sheer, combustible fun. From the explosive opener “I’d Like to Know” to the euphoric “Alright,” every track radiates youthful recklessness. “Sitting Up Straight” teases calm before detonating again, while “She’s So Loose” finally slows the tempo — a small masterpiece in miniature. Then comes that moment: “We’re Not Supposed To.” Recorded at double speed and sounding like a helium hangover, it’s the album’s one real misfire — a juvenile in-joke that should have stayed on the cutting room floor. But the band redeems itself immediately with the lazy sway of “Time” and the hazy, unexpectedly intricate “Sofa (of My Lethargy),” which drifts toward something almost prog-like. By then, it’s clear that beneath the chaos, there’s surprising depth — and maybe even a fondness for ’70s pop à la Smokie lurking beneath the fuzz. The pseudo-farewell that closes the record is unnecessary but harmless — like one too many pints after a perfect night out. Minor flaws aside, I Should Coco remains a blast of pure mid-’90s exuberance: fast, funny, and gloriously alive, the sound of youth with nowhere particular to be and too much energy to sit still.

Absolutely solid album, every song a winner

Big surprise for me!

Days since I last listened to this album before it came up in the generator: 11

Oh yeah, this was great. Love the energy from the start. Felt like a mix of punk plus Madness.

Slaps. One of the better and more approachable punkish album on here

Two straight days of some UK rock. I enjoyed this more than my previous listen, though. Caught by the Fuzz is fantastic. A really good and really strong album. It's all gas and no brakes and I love it for that. I was surprised that I had not heard this album before today. I would definitely purchase this album. Favorite Tracks: Caught by the Fuzz, Lose It, She's So Loose Listened on Apple Music with Airpods Pro Max in the office.

Finally, a Britpop band I can unironically get behind. Such a contrast with yesterday's Suede, which was too dull to even comment on. This is really fun.

Firstly: SHES SO LOOSE SHOULDVE BEEN A SINGLE Secondly- WTF! I haven’t had this album yet?! It’s one like the 1st garbage album where I don’t think theres a bad track but I rarely revisit. But it’s banger after banger… caught by the fuzz, lose it, lenny and sitting up straight would work being played in some small scale grimy punk rock venue. While strange ones reverses the role of verse and chorus perfectly and the way gaz sings ‘every fucker needs a home’ is a classic moment. Alright and mansize rooster are great piano rockers. Time is incredible a very old favourite song of mine I sadly neglect a bit now same with sofa of my lethargy. Fuck even we’re not supposed to is fun. Oh and she’s so loose is perfect!!! 5/5

I surprisingly enjoyed this album.

Britpop's weird cousin - frantic, slightly confused, and charmingly chaotic.

Like a freakier oasis. Liked it a lot

What a joy! I was absent from any awareness of good pop music during this era. I was a geezer at this point (now I'm just old), and crucially had no connections to inform me about the good stuff. My contemporaries were listening to adult fare. _Creem_ magazine was long gone--they would have been on this one for sure! I didn't find out about Oasis until years after they'd broken up. This reminds me of the Vibrators and a host of other cool young bands. 'll be snagging this one. 5

Woah man. I guess I...love britpop? The fuck? There's something smack-dab perfect here for me. It's gritty and alternative while still emphasizing the musicianship needed for truly good music; it's aggressive, but it doesn't take itself too seriously; it rips along at a sprint, but takes some time to lean back as well. Supergrass, you have my love. A+ album cover also, it's weird and fucked up and kind of weirdly pretty.

Excellent!

Considering this is a debut album from three fairly young lads, it’s an absolute belter. It has a lot more depth and quality musicianship than your typical ‘Britpop’ album from that time. I think they went on to make a better record with the follow-up, but this is still an extremely solid album. Great guitar work and striking vocals. What’s not to love?

I agree with some of the comments about this - I had no idea who these people were but I've listened to many of their songs thinking they were fantastic and somehow never placing them anywhere in my radar. It is a bit unfair how underrecognised they are

Esto es divertimento en estado puro. Aceleración a ritmo de de pop rock con su toque punk a veces que te mantiene vivo y disfrutando en cada corte. “Alright” fue un éxito, pero aquí hay mucho más que ese single. Las tres que le siguen, “Lose It”, “Lenny” y “Strange Ones” son tan infecciosas que las has de escuchar en bucle”. En definitiva, discazo para pasarlo bien y sobrellevar un, por ejemplo, lunes de mierda.

GIIIIIIIRREEE but that one track with the terrible micing is cause for treason. FIVE!

Im going to park my personal feeling for this album for an objective review. I think this is a very good album. The youthful energy hits you like a wave, but its built on some seriously good song writing and playing. They manage to thrash along at a great rate but the tunes and hooks keep coming. This is a tour de force of British song writing that builds on ray davies, marc bolan and maybe even joe strummer. The best thing about it is it is completely unpretentious and stands the test of time better for it. So many of these albums date badly because they were "cool" for the time, but decades later they just seem bad. This is cool because its not trying to be of the zeitgeist, just really good and fun.

Classic

Loud

Great

"You're listening to my tunes!" - Simon (when he saw the Supergrass album art on my Spotify)

I like it. Reminds me of a lot of others. Devo, New York Dolls

Man, I forgot how much I dig this album. Brit-pop but with teeth! It's as if you took Blur's self-titled and flipped the vibes of the big single and the rest of the album. "Alright" is a peppy little pop bop, but the rest of the album has some serious punk rock vibes, where as on Blur, you have a punk rock esc single in "Song 2" and the rest is more Brit-pop bops. Criminally underrated in the states! Love this one!!

I’ve got two words for you: Mansize. Rooster.

Awesome.

I liked the album. It's driven and melodic. My favorite two songs were Alright and Caught by the Fuzz.

it was good! not necessarily something i would throw on everyday but it was good

Really cool Brit-pop. I'd never heard of this band and wasn't familiar with their music and then "Alright" came on. I've heard this song a lot over the years, never knew who made it. Something I'd come back to again, for sure. Just started listening to it for a second time this morning...and this is what I was hoping for when starting this project, finding bands and albums that I'd never heard of (but should have, I was well aware of what was going on in 1995) and enjoying them.

Great pop punk album. Some tracks have some Cardiacs vibes.