My first taste of The Sunmills’ music came not long ago via the excellent single “Rock and Roll,” which proved to be a cool slice of indie-infused alternative rock and roll. And whilst their debut album, “The Art of Burning Bridges,” doesn’t necessarily always follow that same sonic template, it does share the same eclecticism when it comes to mixing and matching sounds and styles, genre-hopping, storming sonic barricades, swerving established demarcations, and generally playing by their own rules.
“Not Going Home,” runs on the sort of funk-rock bass fusions that immediatley makes you think of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, a band, I have to admit, except their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” I have never warmed too, but I have to say I love this.
“Burning Bridges” swings in a subverted and singular indie-pop sort of way, so much so that I can’t think of a decent reference point (always the sign that a band is doing something unique), “Whispering Words” leans into more bluesy realms, though again there is more here fresh than familiar when they do it, and “Hey Now Cindy” is what Jimi Hendrix might have sounded if he had been trying to invent indie music fifteen years before it became a thing.
The Sunmills have always been slightly self-deprecating, commenting that their music is somewhat flawed, messy, raw, and unpolished, and maybe their sound seems a bit scattered across the musical map. For me, that is their selling point. Rock music, especially that following an alternative and underground tack, should be somewhat flawed, messy, raw, and unpolished, and although musically, they are pretty eclectic, it is the band’s musical personality and unique approach to music making that actually glues everything together into a consistent, concise, and brilliant sound. (Sorry, I couldn’t think of a word beginning with c to finish that alliteration.)
A band writing a new chapter in the book of alternative rock music? I think so.
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