Scott Hepple and The Sun Band
Smoke And Frown
(Rise Above) 7” Vinyl | DL
Released: 23rd August, 2024
Scott Hepple and The Sun Band release their first single after signing to Rise Above – a label that Hepple had always admired – and it’s a stormer.
Two albums in and Scott Hepple and the Sun Band have signed to Rise Above, the label formed by Napalm Death singer Lee Dorrian in 1988 – a label that Hepple says it was always his dream to sign for. If the quality of this first single is replicated in future releases it should be a match made in heaven.
Smoke & Frown sonically attacks you from the first guitar chords and drum beats until about 45 seconds in when there is a pull back into the chorus and we get a hippier 60’s feel, before the heaviness kicks back in. It’s got a raw sound with a heavy beat and the drums really let loose on this record to create a discordant heavy backdrop to the chugging riffs, and when the guitar solo kicks in, it drives the song into even higher excellence.
There’s a light and dark approach in the lyrics which, if I’m hearing correctly, is about the summer of love turned dark by the drugs: It’s the summer of love/Where the eyes are glazed. Years ago I was in Haight Asbury and it was a depressing sight to see old hippies huddled in doorways looking more like the age of decay than the dawning of the age of Aquarius.
It’s a great tune, with great playing: it’s a fucking great song by a band on the up.
The B Side, Fake A Smile, is a garage sounding growl with a wall of sound that is well worth flipping over for.
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You can find Scott Hepple and The Sun Band on Instagram, Facebook and Bandcamp
All words by Mark Ray. More writing by Mark Ray can be found at his author archive. And he can be found on Threads, Instagram and WordPress
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