An album that calls to mind the very best of the 80s and 90s (we’re thinking New World Order and The Cure), ‘100% Sunshine’ is 100% guitars and rock rhythms.
Opening track ‘Faeris on High’ is an instrumental piece which paves the way for the strong guitar and drums of ‘New Release’. So much of this harks back to an earlier time, with the Canadian band, who are about to set off on their European tour at the end of this month, perfectly reproducing the sound of the back catalogue of the likes of Big Country, Psychedelic Furs, or the aforementioned New Order and The Cure – while at the same time instilling a modern feel.
‘100% Sunshine’, is texture heavy and laden with drone and feedback – the wide open spaces of the prairies of their native Saskatoon can be heard in the likes of ‘Intentions’, ‘Moon Queen’, and ‘No Riots’.
Slow Down Molasses (aka SDM) is a sextet, comprising singer/guitarist, and head of the band, Tyson McShane, Jordan Kurtz on drums, bassist Chris Morin, guitarist/keyboards Aaron Scholz, Levi Soulodre on guitar, and Jeanette Stewart on vox/keyboards.
There are more than a few homages to The Cure in ‘100% Sunshine’, most notably on ‘New Release’, while the cleverly titled ‘Levitation Sickness’ hearkens back to 90s indie rock giants such as Dinosaur Jr.
Our favourite track on the album is ‘Ghosts & Vodka’ but overall the entire album does a whole lot of good in the heart of this 80s girl.
We mentioned earlier that SDM are about to set off on their European tour. You can catch them at the following:
Sebright Arms, London – 31 August
The Cellar, Oxford – 1 September
End of the Road Festival, Salisbury – 1-4 September
The Moon Club, Cardiff – 5 September
Club Kukuun, Hamburg, Germany – 5 September
Culture Container, Berlin, Germany – 7 September
Incubate Festival, Tilburg, Netherlands – 8-11 September
‘100% Sunshine’ is out on 2 September and is available to preorder now on Bandcamp. SDM can be found online on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, YouTube, and Twitter. See their website for tickets and further information regarding their tour.
