Venus Hum’s newest collection is the EP Songs for Superheroes—five songs written and recorded over the past few years for various projects. Oddly, though the collection isn’t actually new material, we find the trio sounding more confident and experimental than ever.

“Fighting for Love” is the closest to Bjork’s territory that they’ve ever trod—moody, vivid, dark and happy. “MyHeart” is a blast of jubilant vocals and squeaking electro burps. In contrast, “Sister” is almost jazzy—think Martian lounge music. The songs, like all Venus Hum’s music, are a brilliant fusion of human emotion with technological craft.

Venus Hum has often been pegged as a kitschy throwback to ‘80’s music—a grab-bag of old Moogs, drum machines and a waif-ish frontwoman with a broad voice. Truth is, the band has always been influenced by the front edge of electronic music. They’ve just honed that edge with pop songcraft and a lovely singing voice. Songs for Superheroes captures their edgy spirit in a brief, bold exclamations. The mix of moods, themes and sounds on the EP captures the frenetic spirit that Venus Hum brings to their live shows.

[This piece appears in All The Rage as a preview for VH’s next show in Nashville.]