Every since I started going to smaller shows when I was a kid, my favorite way of learning about new bands has been to see them live with no expectation whatsoever, often having never or just barely heard of them, and have my mind blown. The bands and artists that accomplish this tend to stick in my head the most and often greatly influence my listening habits as by following them, I will inevitably become aware of any small labels or other bands they are associated with, influenced by, etc. I feel fortunate that the list of artists that have fallen into this category for me is a pretty long one. Off the top of my head, Hickey, XBXRX, the Sic Alps, Blues Control, Byron House, Mincemeat or Tenspeed, Kyle Mabson, Temple of Bon Matin, Ed Schrader, and Occasional Detroit all make the list. And as of last summer so does Chicago psych rock trio Nude Sunrise.Weirdly enough, the night I saw Nude Sunrise was actually a very long and stressful one. They were touring with Teaadora Nikolova and scheduled to play in a friend's basement. I'd never heard of them or Teaadora until earlier that week, but I was assured by the friend that set the show up that I would dig them. Unfortunately, somehow two ska-punk bands got jumped onto an already over-crowded bill and wound up playing forever and delaying the sets of the bands my friend was so certain I would enjoy for what seemed like hours. When Nude Sunrise finally got started it was almost 3 AM and if it hadn't been for the quality of the third act on their tour, Names Divine who played before the ska bands, I probably would not have stuck around.
Luckily, I did of course stick around and watched Nude Sunrise play an amazing set of southern-rock tinged, swirling, psych. With dueling guitar lines, soaring crescendos, and enough delay and reverb to bring Phil Spector to his knees, the band quickly destroyed any doubts anyone in the audience may have had about sticking around so late. Amazingly, the band managed to facilitate a very relaxed vibe, even when the tunes they were playing were very densely layered and 'wall of fuzz' sounding. Naturally I quickly snapped up all the merch I could get from them including this CD-R which contains their first cassette release 'Hunks Like Us' as well as, I believe, some demos that were recorded prior to the sessions for the cassette release.I was quite pleased to find out that the recordings are also really, really good. Retaining a unique and consistent aesthetic throughout, the band cruises through a few different moods, sometimes sounding very mellow, almost romantic, and at other times sounding very much like a geared up party band. Since the band doesn't have a drummer, they frequently rely on triggered beats to carry the songs, something that sometimes bugs me if it sounds a certain way, but even this is usually very well executed.
It's strange, there is really nothing retro about this band, they certainly have their own distinctive sound, yet their music still often makes me think of a more abstract post-modern take on that sort of Dazed and Confused, teenagers cruising around and getting high in the70s vibe. Maybe it's the long hair. Anyway, this is really great stuff from a band that's just coming up, and very much worth your attention.
Check them out here.
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