It’s been five years since esteemed indie rock veterans Superchunk played Boston. The band has been an active unit since 1989, but one with a decidedly unhurried touring and record release schedule since the early oughts. Things were anything but laid-back at The Sinclair in Cambridge this past Friday night (April 6) though, where bandleader Mac McCaughan, all-star drummer Jon Wurster, guitarist Jim Wilbur, and touring bassist Jason Narducy headlined a readily sold-out gig in support of Superchunk’s eleventh LP, What a Time to Be Alive. The quartet ripped through the new record’s pointed, politically-charged songs and plenty of old favorites with breathless urgency and pogoing energy, a band as vital now as they’ve ever been. To top things off, an opening set from beloved and recently-reunited Philly rockers Swearin’ helped cement the evening as an early 2018 highlight.
