Look, we’ve all been there. That moment when the universe holds up a mirror and you realize you’ve been coasting. For Jared Fullerman, that moment came in the form of a school dashboard reading “Super Senior” – and yeah, his stomach turned too.
But here’s the thing about Fullerman – he took that punch and turned it into one of the catchiest damn songs you’ll hear this year. “Super Senior (Smooth Stones)” dropped March 6th as the first single from his upcoming album Ins (due May 1), and it’s proof that this guy isn’t messing around.
Fullerman’s 2023 debut Albatross already made noise. We’re talking #26 on Obscure Sound’s year-end best albums list. Critical acclaim. Real traction. But “Super Senior (Smooth Stones)” is a leap.
The song started in a piano practice room between classes during that extra semester. Fullerman had time to kill, started working out chords, and over weeks it grew into something jangly and kinetic. Heavy rotation of jangle pop shaped the sound – we’re talking a sophisticated sophisti-pop opening that tricks you before the whole thing accelerates into something faster, more urgent.
Because that’s the trick – the song builds speed as it goes. Fullerman structured it that way on purpose, and the outro hits like a train picking up momentum. And here’s a beautiful accident: he records his snares with a pillowcase on the batter head for control. Midway through the final take, it slipped off. Landed on the floor. The snare tone shifts across those last lines, and they kept it. A song about procrastination came together in just over a week. Irony’s a hell of a thing.
The title’s subtitle “Smooth Stones” comes from that realization – stop kicking your stones smooth down the road. Stop putting things off. Graduate already. It’s a spiritual sequel to his earlier “Sophomore Slump,” continuing a thread where academic milestones become personal reckonings.
This thing’s got range. Synth-driven pulsations. Guitar twangs that hit just right. Melodic refinement that doesn’t sacrifice energy. Jared Fullerman‘s building something real here, and “Super Senior (Smooth Stones)” is the opening statement.
Jared Fullerman Socials: Youtube