Last night I had the opportunity to see SuperKnova play some songs off her new album American Queers. I’ve been listening to it for a few days, with it’s official release yesterday before the show started. It’s a unique album, combining pop/rock/electronic music in a way that hasn’t previously been done this well.

Ellie Kim, the lone singer/songwriter/instrumentalist on the album, has a knack for blending sounds. She somehow manages to weave Chainsmokers-style beats with confessional vocals and bluesy guitar riffs like they were made for each other. My first run through the album I couldn’t get over the guitar work.

During the show last night she ripped through that “Seven Nation Army” riff with ease, and followed it with a solo both brash and vulnerable. She shows more than a little influence from Stevie Ray Vaughn, but it’s another axe-man I hear when she plays-Irish blues virtuoso Gary Moore.

It can be felt most in a song like “Off My Body,” which features this forlorn tone underneath a stoic but fierce declaration of autonomy.

I’m not quite sure when Ellie started playing shows as SuperKnova, but she’s a pro all the way. The sequence of songs was spot-on and flowed together perfectly. Her choice of covers worked to her strengths and got the crowd going. Mostly it was her energy that shot through the crowd like an electric shock that made the show memorable.

At a scant 25 minutes, American Queers definitely leaves the listener wanting more. It’s an album that definitely warrants repeat listens (like over and over and over). It’s a fun record with a deeper message about self-love and living out loud that speaks to everyone.