Album Review: Sunday State – Self Titled

Sunday State has expanded from it’s humble roots of two close friends, Michael Carothers and Kurt Foster, deciding to to write and record a few songs, but like any good monster they have grown and become stronger with the addition of Jeremy Dietz (Mission Spotlight), Thom Sullivan (The Pynnacles) and Steve Turner (Mudhoney, Green River). For the recording of their recently released self titled debut album they added contributions from Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, Big Star), Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows) and Jenny Conlee (The Decemberists, Black Prairie), something that warrants the title supergroup being applied to Sunday State.

Any preconceptions you may have had, aside from the opening squall of feedback that heralds a false start into Sunday State‘s debut full length, are dashed on the rocks with the initial mantra of Timber Town Run. Sunday State deal in short but mellow infectious tunes that, once you’ve attuned yourself to their mind set, is an enjoyable but unexpected journey. Each track brings a new element into the mix of unexpectedly mellow album that blends indie, 6o’s garage, alt country and grunge and distills it into a hypnotic debut that should always be played in full, although if you do live on shuffle then White Pine County & Sundown should be on your playlist.

Steve Turner‘s signature harmonic fuzz is a welcome presence, but it’s more restrained than you may expect, and the powerful vocals are centre stage throughout Sunday State‘s debut album. I found my early scepticism melting away with each track, and with each track I got the uneasy feeling that I was travelling back in time to before each of the members former outfits walked the earth. Right now travelling back in time is a very tempting prospect, and a Sunday State of mind is not a bad way to get there.

Sunday State‘s debut album is now available via Snappy Little Numbers & Bandcamp