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Hello, blue.

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Couldn’t be more excited for you guys! People are really going to respond to this record. @the-sun-days  @jagofreud2

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Patiently waiting for US tour dates  <3

The Sun Days live @ Album release gig 2015. Photo by Emil Agrell

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The Sun Days, Album, 2016

Comparisons are automatic. We hear a band and simultaneously draw connections. For The Sun Days, a wonderful indiepop five-piece from Sweden’s second largest city, associations can be made to The Drums or even to label mates Makthaverskan. However, vocalist Elsa Fredriksson Holmgren manages to carry the group’s sound away from similar contemporaries and into a space of its own with her ethereal-yet-valiant singing. A paralysis of sorts occurs upon hearing “Don’t Need to Be Them” and “Fear” for the first time. Heck, that’s the reaction to any of their tracks, really. Each song off Album demands exclusive attention and investment from the moment an individual first hits play. It appears a safe bet to guess that this will be the collective response when people discover their debut.

Album, an exquisite eight-track offering spanning thirty minutes, is rife with impeccable bass lines, unpolluted guitar segments, vulnerable lyrics and compellingly dancy tempos. Take for example “You Can’t Make Me Make Up My Mind.” Right from the start, bassist Johan Ramnebrink kicks off the song—assisted by strums and picking of the guitar—while the remaining instruments whirl in shortly thereafter and persist smoothly throughout. If that somehow renders you unimpressed and needing more, then Holmgren’s outstanding vocal performance on “Don’t Need to Be Them” will surely solidify some listener commitment. She beautifully belts the lyrics of the chorus while the words themselves inspire individuality and tell of the bliss of being oneself. The male voice ahhh-ing steadily in the background works wonderfully for the track, too.

An absolute treasure on the album is “Fear,” and it dwells on the crippling nature of that very emotion. “I feel so lost, I feel so alone” are lyrics demonstrative of the band’s candidness. The honesty continues:  “I’m shaking again, it’s making me insane / I’m crushing my head, it’s full of distractions / Can’t get out of bed.” Common sentiments, right? The Sun Days eloquently connect to their audience via these shared emotions. And just when you get a little upset that the song has ended, they smash back in for a delightful reprise of the chorus, leading to the actual conclusion.

“I Keep On Wondering” consumes the least amount of time on Album. It’s not to be missed, though. It’s concise and has an overwhelmingly feel-good vibe to it. The lyrics are pointed and convey two not-so-separate thoughts: “I keep on wondering why we can’t get along” and “Do what you want in life.” Guitarists Joe Enocsson and Simon Boontham exhibit a kind of controlled rambunctiousness that lends to this song’s playfulness. Less playful, but similarly light and captivating is “Busy People.” It immediately engages by asking: “Can you keep a secret?” Naturally, that grips us. Of course we’re parched for what follows. The lyrics then explain: “I tried to kill myself last night / But you won’t believe it, you think that I am telling lies.” This may represent an authentic experience. It could be artistic license. Either way, we’re paying attention. Everyone should pay attention and prepare to be unbelievably charmed by this dreamy collection of pop songs.

These guys (and gal) are guaranteed to gain remarkable traction stateside, so be sure to venture over to a gig once dates are listed. In the meantime, the Gothenburg virtuosos have their record Album releasing March 25th in the U.S. through Run For Cover. Pre-order it now: 

http://www.runforcoverrecords.com/products/568156-the-sun-days-album

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Harmlessness, 2015

The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die could not have released a more impregnable debut. Let’s pretend, however, that Whenever, If Ever actually did lack something. One could say it lacked a greater presence of keyboardist Katie Shanholtzer-Dvorak’s unblemished vocals. Others may say the record could have bolstered itself on a heftier dose of cello. Well, both of those concerns are fully accounted for in Harmlessness. Forget calling Harmlessness a sophomore “effort”—this is a sophomore slaying.

 Founding member Derrick Shanholtzer-Dvorak—whose Internet presence should have its own Comedy Central special—begins the album by singing delicately on “You Can’t Live There Forever,” which lures a listener into engaging with characteristically TWIABP assertions like, “We think that the world is all right / And that’s a lie.” After a noticeable shift in plucking and more pronounced production, the song transitions into a beautifully poppy jingle where, if you’re not at least tapping your foot, you’re simply making bad choices. This opening track serves to establish the tone for the rest of the album by declaring that fans should expect some unfamiliarity.

 Anyone remotely acquainted with past material knows that drummer Steven Buttery has a serious knack for fluid percussion. The end of “Wendover” boasts of these technical abilities that, more than likely, provide no real challenge for him to actually crack out. “We Need More Skulls” then sets out to make up for all the mistakes of our parents and their friends. Listen to the song. You’ll get it, I promise. And you’ll also like that it’s “heavy sounding.” Creeping in next with an eerie intro is “Haircuts For Everybody.” It is arguable that the beginning of this song was birthed during a heavy spinning of The Moon and Antarctica. “The Stars Are Projectors” and “Life Like Weeds” appear to have a new friend. Just over halfway through the track, primary vocalist David Bello and K. Shanholtzer-Dvorak powerfully cry: “Change your life / Please change your life / Change my life / Please change my life.” Trickled throughout the other twelve tracks are similar lyrics that may lead to healthy introspection.

 The World is a Beautiful Place have constructed a perfectly emotional record that emotes perfectly. Even the sparkle of the keyboard at the end of “Mount Hum” ignites a happiness and spirit of positivity that couples too fittingly with Bello’s lyric “Come on and fall, so that I can pick you up.” A member once said of Harmlessness: “It will make you shit your pants.” So, buy the album and see what happens to your britches.

 10/10