Supercore Frontman Fran Beceiro on ‘Erased’ EP & Translating Those Songs to a Live Environment

Bands don’t usually invent their own subgenre of music, but Supercore aren’t like most bands. The name of the band is also the name of the music they play, a mixture of post-punk and industrial. They are fast, intense, and as original a band as you’ll hear. There’s also a groove to their sound, despite the sometimes distorted soundscapes. Founded by singer and guitarist Fran Beceiro, Supercore originates from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Beceiro writes, records, and produces all of Supercore’s music in the studio, and then assembles a four-piece live band. He builds the sound out from distorted textures, raw intensity, and a cinematic atmosphere.

The band’s debut EP, Erased, was released last September via Sonic Rising Records. Beceiro tracked everything himself, and then to bring the songs to life, he relies on his bandmates to translate those studio versions of the songs into something even better live.

Beceiro joins us today to tell us more about Supercore, their creative process, Erased, and more.

What is the story behind your band name?

Fran Beceiro: “To me, the name reflects what the world feels like right now, oversaturated, insanely fast, chaotic. Everything happening everywhere all at once. That interpretation came after I decided on it though. I just had a list of possible names and this was the only one I didn’t end up hating after a few weeks. I wish I had a deeper explanation but honestly I just wanted something that looked and sounded cool.”

Supercore, photo by Nicolás Rodríguez

How would you describe your creative process?

“In the beginning, it’s always a mess, but that’s deliberate. I tend not to know exactly what I’m working on until pretty late in the process. Countless demos, trying almost everything that sounds like a good idea, most of which I end up not using. There can be ten versions of a song before it’s finished, and every time something starts, it’s a different process.

“At some point, I think I know what it is I’m making, and that’s when I get more editorial, thinking about meaning, concept, what a group of songs is trying to say together. But that comes later. I think it’s good to go into things blindly. Every time I’ve deliberately sat down thinking, ‘I want to write a song about X,’ it ends up being terrible.”

When you write, do you do so with the live setting in mind, or do you write a song just for the song’s sake?

“I don’t fully understand how an idea for a song forms, and I try not to question it too early. When something comes up that I’m genuinely excited about, I follow it wherever it wants to go, forgetting the live band completely. The project is also still quite new, and the band wasn’t formed yet when the music was finished. But I’d like to try writing with the live setting in mind in the future. We’ll see if it changes anything.”

Supercore, photo by Nicolás Rodríguez

Along those same lines, do you take advantage of technology and email riffs and parts back and forth, or do you get together in a room in a more traditional sense?

“For the studio recordings, it was just me alone in my home studio for about a year. At the end, I got together with my friend and drummer Emilio Paravisi to record the live drum parts at his studio. When it came time to bring these songs to the stage, it was a matter of trying everything and seeing what worked in that context, some things I didn’t expect to work worked, and vice versa. Everyone brought their own interpretation, and I think that added something unique to what the band became. I’m proud of what we put together and genuinely excited to be presenting it.”

Supercore, photo by Nicolás Rodríguez

What do you like most about playing music?

“It’s what I’ve always loved most. It’s where I feel more connected and present than anywhere else. It gave me a sense of identity and purpose that I don’t take for granted at all. I think of my creative process as a personal spiritual practice. And being able to play that music live with like-minded people, bringing ideas to life in a room, there’s nothing like it.”

What is the story behind the name of the new record?

“Erased comes from a loose concept I developed for the EP. At the time, I was getting pretty paranoid about the state of the world, what technology is doing to us as a species, where all of this might be leading. It gave me a great deal of anxiety, which I think most people can relate to right now. The name felt like the natural conclusion of that line of thinking.”

Supercore, photo by Nicolás Rodríguez

Tell us about Erased — what was your experience making it?

“It started on a laptop in my living room, just recording whatever until something sounded interesting. Then it moved to my home studio, where I slowly started developing ideas that seemed worth pursuing. I can’t say it was always fun, but it was definitely rewarding once it was finished. I wasn’t just working on a collection of songs; I was trying to figure out what Supercore actually was, what I was trying to say and how best to say it. So the experience was the opposite of glamorous. Lots of sleepless nights, countless hours, endless versions and scrapped ideas. In the end, I’m happy with how it came out.”

Supercore, photo by Nicolás Rodríguez

What’s next for you?

“We have a couple of releases coming up that I’m really excited about. One is a collection of Erased remixes from electronic music producers from Argentina. Also, we are finishing up the follow-up to this two-part series of EPs, which is coming out next year. Refining the live show, trying to give people the best experience possible when they come see us. And playing as many shows as we can, just getting the message out there.”