sun’s sons and the rebirth of indie-rock
Lasse Kuhl, Sorin Della Monica, Marius Wunderlich, Sammy Wahlandt and Kyle Kahraman. At first reading, the names seem a bit complex. But they are less when we realize that they are members of the brand new German band sun’s sons (No. It’s not a boy band, ok?). Even more, when we realize that their sound has nothing to do with complex. It is a soft indie rock, made with simple but well thought out chords, which refer to a less anxious time, when music was not treated as an algorithmic element.
Nowadays, popular music is often shaped by the listener’s streaming behavior, which means the intro should be very short and there should be a drop in the first 40 seconds. For us, it feels wrong to look at music like that.
Lasse – sun’s sons
Since forming back in 2019 the multi-instrumentalists have sorrounded themselves with a bunch of other musicians who are contributing to forming their sound. The early folk-inspired singer/songwriter ballads have developed into more dreamy Indie-Pop tracks. These days, the two are often accompanied by the Wiesbaden based Celloduo – in the studio and on stage. “It’s a long process of trying things out and discussing different opinions but it still is our favorite part of being musicians“, says Lasse.
2 3 Things about sun’s sons (by Lasse)
RC – The long intro of “Clean Slate” reminded us of The Smiths in songs like “Some Girls are bigger than others”. Are The Smiths a great reference for you guys?
SS – We actually weren’t talking about The Smiths at all while writing and recording “Clean Slate” but I get the connection. The “Vintage Sound” of bands like the Smiths is a huge influence for us and we also love the “oldschool” way of structuring a song. In this case, a long intro just felt right. Nowadays, popular music is often shaped by the listener’s streaming behavior, which means the intro should be very short and there should be a drop in the first 40 seconds. For us, it feels wrong to look at music like that. In this regard, we really look up to The Smiths’ approach.
RC – You are a new band, but already been releasing a lot of stuff….Tell us how’s the songwriting process.
SS – The upcoming “Clean Slate EP” is our first project in this formation. All previous released songs were written by our singer Lasse Kuhl and former band members. So, the songwriting process really differed for this new EP.
By now, we write nearly every song together as a band. Most of the time, one of us comes up with some chords on a guitar or on the upright piano in our rehearsal room. Then Lasse writes some lyrics and melodies about things he is going through and we all talk about the direction the song is supposed to go into. We always have to be sure we all feel the same vibe. While recording demos, we add drums, bass, more guitars, keys and backings. It’s a long process of trying things out and discussing different opinions but it still is our favorite part of being musicians.
RC – What are the band’s projects for now? Any Festivals?
SS – The closest milestone is the release of our “Clean Slate EP” on 15.07. That night, we’ll play a big release concert in our hometown Frankfurt, Germany. We’re thrilled to show the world what we’ve been working on for the last year. Other than that, we’ve got some great festivals in Germany coming up (KROA-Festival, Campus-Festival Darmstadt, Youth Culture Festival). To play in a line-up between German acts like “Jeremias”, “Rikas” or “Donkey Kid” is an absolute dream. We also hope to be able to tour in autumn and play the first shows out of Germany. Our plans are very ambitious, we can’t wait for what this year holds!
Watch “You & My Mind” by sun’s sons
“You & My Mind” was already released on May 15 on all major platforms. The original melodies stick in the head, while the distinctive melancholic lyrics touch the heart and truly make it a sun’s sons record.
Note from the editor: Following up on an extensive and experimental songwriting phase during the first lockdown, sun’s sons have now produced their first EP with producer Sebastian Neumann, which is meant to be release on July 15. You don’t wanna miss that, do you?
