Super Fake Nice

Super Fake Nice
EP by Self
Released	July 29, 2014
Studio	Fresh Imperial (Tennessee)
Genre	Pop rock power pop[1]
Length	17:47
Label	El Camino Media
Producer	Matt Mahaffey
Self chronology
Porno, Mint & Grime (2005) Super Fake Nice (2014) Ornament and Crime (2017)
Singles from Super Fake Nice
"Looks and Money" Released: November 28, 2011 "Runaway" Released: July 11, 2014

Super Fake Nice is the third EP by American pop rock band Self, released through El Camino Media on July 29, 2014. Originally announced as an album in 2007, it is the band's first studio release since Gizmodgery (2000), ending a 14-year break. The EP prominently maintains a soundscape consistent with the band. The singles "Looks and Money" and "Runaway" supported it, with the latter achieving mainstream success alongside its music video.

Background

In 2007, Matt Mahaffey announced Super Fake Nice via Myspace as Self's fifth full-length album. Its title was derived from an overheard conversation at a movie theater.[2] In a 2009 interview, Mahaffey described its lyricism as "atypical to sElf" and stated disinterest in collaboration for it.[3] He began writing the first song that would appear on the project, "Runaway", in 2010.[2] In January 2012, Mahaffey finished his home studio in Franklin, Tennessee, entitled Fresh Imperial and co-designed by Mark Wenner. Several writing and recording sessions took place in the same month.[4]

Later in 2012, independent record label El Camino Media was founded by Matt Messer. He was drawn to "Runaway", expressing interest in it as a radio single and inspiring Mahaffey to perform and record several more songs for the project.[5] One of these songs was "Hey, Hipster", a commentary on hipster culture. For it, he drew inspiration from the songwriting of alternative rock band They Might Be Giants and Peter Gabriel's song "The Barry Williams Show".[5] An art contest was held by Mahaffey to determine the cover art of Super Fake Nice, which was won by Autumn and Brian Cutaia.[6] Following completion, Mahaffey self-described the project as a "ratatouille of stuff I had lying around", stating a general desire to release material as Self.[7]

Release

Self put out various songs before the release cycle of Super Fake Nice.[5] In 2009, two rough demos were made available online: "Orchird" and "Monogamy".[3] Following this, the band put out "Could You Love Me Now?" on May 10, 2010.[8] Though these songs wouldn't appear on the EP, "Monogamy" and "Could You Love Me Now?" were bundled together and released as a standalone single for Record Store Day on April 18, 2015.[9]

"Looks and Money" was released as the EP's first single on November 28, 2011,[10] preceding "Runaway" on July 11, 2014. The latter's music video features a band of cats pantomiming with instruments while several other cats move to the song's beat.[11] Containing six songs,[12] Super Fake Nice became available for pre-order on July 17 and was released through El Camino on July 29, becoming the band's first studio release since their fourth album, Gizmodgery (2000).[13] On July 30, Self performed "Runaway" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, marking the band's TV debut.[14] A music video was later released for "Looks and Money" in 2015, directed by Dave Foley and starring himself with Mary Lynn Rajskub.[9]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Fire Note	[12]

Super Fake Nice received favorable to mixed reviews. The Fire Note criticized the first two tracks for their "gloss ante" while praising the EP's other songs for reviving Self's older style.[12] NPR denounced the lyrics of "Runaway" as trivial but praised its instrumental, calling it an "infectious pop-rock track".[1] Lyndsey Parker of Rolling Stone described the song as a "catchy comeback track", likening its music video to Keyboard Cat and ranking it at number 10 on a list of the top 20 music videos of 2014.[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matt Mahaffey.

Super Fake Nice track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Runaway"	3:18
2.	"Subconscious Life"	3:12
3.	"Gonna Rock"	3:14
4.	"Hey, Hipster"	2:41
5.	"Looks and Money"	2:14
6.	"Splitting Atoms"	3:04
Total length:		17:47

Sample credits

• "Runaway" contains samples of "Do That Stuff", written by George Clinton, Gary Shider, and Bernie Worrell, as performed by Parliament.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the EP's liner notes.[16]

• Matt Mahaffey – lead vocals, instruments, production, audio mixing, arrangement
• Mark Chalecki – mastering engineer
• New York Brass – horns (3, 5)
• Ahna Mahaffey – intro vocal (4)
• Autumn Cutaia – album artwork
• Brian Cutaia – album design
• Andy Harper – photography

Release history

Release dates and formats for Super Fake Nice

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Various	July 29, 2014	Digital download streaming	El Camino	[5]
	September 30, 2014	CD		[17]
	October 2014	Vinyl LP		[18]

References

1. Boilen, Bob; Thompson, Stephen (August 5, 2014). "New Mix: Foxygen, Lily & Madeleine, Porter Robinson, More". NPR. All Songs Considered. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
2. Heisel, Scott (August 27, 2014). ""We never broke up, but we got burned out"—Matt Mahaffey on the return of Self". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
3. Sharp, Brock (October 7, 2009). "Interview: Matt Mahaffey Of Self". Rock Sellout. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
4. Freeman, Jon (January 23, 2012). "Matt Mahaffey Returns To Tennessee With New Studio". Music Row. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
5. Olmstead, Todd (July 24, 2014). "Self, a.k.a. the Dude Who Made the Expedia Dot Com Jingle, Is Back". Vice. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
6. Peterson, Tyler (July 29, 2014). "sElf's Lead Single "Runaway" Featured as iTunes Single of the Week Today". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
7. Hubbard, Susan (December 4, 2014). "AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MATT MAHAFFEY of sElf". East of 8th. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
8. "Self - Could You Love Me Now?". Self. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
9. Obenschain, Philip (March 12, 2015). "sElf Premiere "Looks & Money" Video". No Country For New Nashville. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
10. "Self – "Looks and Money"". We Own This Town. November 30, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
11. Parker, Lyndsey (July 21, 2014). "Is Self's 'Runaway' the Greatest Cat Video Ever?". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
12. Anthony, Christopher (August 12, 2014). "sElf: Super Fake Nice [Album Review]". The Fire Note. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
13. Breihan, Tom (July 31, 2014). "Self Released A New EP And Played Kimmel Last Night". Stereogum. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
14. Rodgers, Patrick (July 31, 2014). "Watch Self Play 'Runaway' and 'Lucid Anne' on Jimmy Kimmel Live". Nashville Scene. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
15. Parker, Lyndsey (December 22, 2014). "The 20 Most Awesome Music Videos of 2014". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
16. Super Fake Nice (Media notes). Self. El Camino Media. 2014.
17. "sElf • SUPER FAKE NICE CD". El Camino Media. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
18. "sElf • SUPER FAKE NICE EP 10" CLEAR VINYL". El Camino Media. Retrieved September 15, 2023.