Sunshine Boys “Blue Music”

One of the beauties of music is the way you can have a journey of discovery through bands and artists. So, discovering a love of The Lemonheads has seen us finding Juliana Hatfield and then her previous band Blake Babies. We were then brought right back to the present day with Sunshine Boys, who include Freda Love Smith from Blake Babies. Although that’s only part of the story, as all the members of Sunshine Boys have a wealth of experience in Indie rock.

That experience is quite apparent from opening songs “Questions” and “Tripping Through Time” which have an air of confidence about them. It’s the sound of a band that is confident not only in their musical and song writing ability, but also ‘comfortable in their own skin’. You kind of sense that with tracks like “Gilder Pilot” and “Only A Million Miles” they know they’ve got things nailed with their delivery of melodic pop rock songs.

Importantly, this is not just some ‘nostalgia’ exercise. You will find it impossible not to get caught up in the glorious melody of “Billy Boy” whilst ”There Goes Another One” has a sound (and title) that recalls the legendary Paul Westerberg. Overall there’s certainly a feel of ‘quality’ indie pop and songs like “Caroline Yes” and “Save It For A Windy Day” had us thinking of people like Crowded House or some of Jason Faulkner’s material. Final song “Sign Of Life” just feels like it’s been written for the poignant moment in a blockbuster movie and will then result in international fame for Sunshine Boys.

Given the band have certainly paid their dues in the indie rock world, you kind of wonder if they are actually still searching for that level of ‘success’. Part of the appeal of this album is that it sounds like a band who are just playing the music and songs they love. There’s not a sense of needing to meet an audience or record label’s expectations. But instead just a satisfaction in producing great songs that they know people will really enjoy. You can check out more about the band at their website http://www.sunshineboys.net/