Sunshine Riot find therapy in music with ‘Just Say So’
Boston alt-rock band unleashes upbeat new single on Friday, June 17
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Sunshine Riot’s ‘Sparkle Baby 2000’ EP set for September 9 release
BOSTON, Mass. [June 17, 2022] -- Reading or hearing the phrase “Just Say So” brings a few interpretative possibilities to mind – an affirmation, an agreement, or a certain kind of acquiescence. For Sunshine Riot, “Just Say So” could be all of those things; but it’s also a gateway into a next era, the title of the Boston band’s new single that’s set for release on Friday, June 17. “Just Say So,” with its loose jangle-pop sensibility and casual alt-rock drive, is the first of a string of singles that culminates in September’s Sparkle Baby 2000 EP, the quartet’s follow-up to last year’s Electrical Tape EP.
“‘Just Say So’ is a song about writing songs,” admits vocalist and guitarist Jonny Orton. “More specifically I think it's really about the healing power of music, trite as that may sound – I believe in it. As we've gotten on in years as a band, I've come to appreciate just how therapeutic writing and playing songs is for all of us.”
As Orton sings about lending a harmony or a note to someone who needs it, “Just Say So” also extends a feeling of friendship and camaraderie amongst the band’s four members. And that’s been built up over the years as Sunshine Riot have developed their sound and creative relationships. With the ease of a proper springtime single, “Just Say So” swings in a few different sonic directions, with nods to The Replacements and Cheap Trick, adding a power-pop and modern rock vibe to the band’s guitar-fueled approach.
Where Electrical Tape, written and recorded in 2020 at a breakneck pace with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago during the height of the pandemic, served as a release of pent-up frustration displayed through Sunshine Riot’s aural brand of grunge whiplash, the contents of Sparkle Baby 2000 – fully aware of the absurdity of the title – find the band developing a more eased approach to songwriting and musical craftsmanship. It builds upon the chemistry Sunshine Riot have developed over their career, and found them once again working with a familiar partner in producer George Dussault at Galilee Studios in Cumberland, R.I. Orton describes Dussault as “a brilliant, funny, terrific guy…he's very much part of the Sunshine Riot family.” The EP was mastered by David Glaser.
“Well, we've been at this a long time and I hope, in good ways, that shows up on wax,” says Orton. “We've probably written hundreds of songs over the past decade plus. The majority of those don't even make it to the stage, much less the records – but I do think somewhere along the way we've figured a few things out about writing rock and roll music. Ultimately, I think we are as comfortable as we've ever been being who we are; a slightly weird, fairly loud, and categorically unpretentious rock and roll outfit.”
And that shines through on the infectious “Just Say So”; its June 17 release firmly entering it in the annual Song of the Summer sweepstakes. It’s an uninhibited, drum-driven, upbeat tune that shows exactly where Sunshine Riot are, creatively, in 2022.
“I guess the easy answer is that we’re locked in, chemistry-wise,” says drummer Steven Shepherd. “Everyone gets a shot at writing. No bad ideas. Nothing new, really. We just never stop writing or playing! No songs are alike on this record. It’s just a free-for-all communal writing session.”
The loose and open exchange of ideas is what saved “Just Say So” from being left on the proverbial cutting room floor. During its demo stage, Orton was working on a few chord progressions “that kind of walked across the fretboard,” pairing it with some selections from his endless batch of lyric sheets, and ultimately brought it to the band. Shepherd worked out the arrangement, helping shape it into a song, but not before bassist Jeff Sullivan and guitarist Mark Tetreault rounded it out by speeding it up and developing its lead riff, respectively.
“Jonny came to us with this song and it was very, very slow,” Sullivan says. “I remember hearing it in my head and speeding it up, slowing it down and thinking how it could work, and speeding it up seemed to be the way to go. While I have a bias here – I’m always trying to speed up our songs – it really freakin’ worked out this time. And then Mark came in with his insanely catchy lead. I can’t believe he made that work. It was, if not genius, then serious lateral thinking around how a song is created. I think many people may think that a lead guitar riff comes first in the writing process, and then everything is built around that. Mark doesn't work that way, and it’s freakin’ awesome.”
The tracks across Sparkle Baby 2000 are layered with that type of collaboration. If Electrical Tape was the drunken late-night party, this new EP is the morning-after hang as the bar re-opens; a little less primal, a little more reflective. It could be deemed a shift in sound for Sunshine Riot, but in reality, it’s just a natural progression for a bunch of dudes comfortable in their own songwriting skin.
“I think each record we do feels like its own thing,” says Orton. “At any point in time, what we release is essentially the best of what we're working on at that time. These sessions allowed a bit more production and experimentation than did the Electrical Tape sessions, and that probably shows on tracks where we've done things like brought in horns, etc. There are advantages to being able to record slowly over multiple sessions, but there are also advantages to being forced to work on a razor tight timeline – as was the case with Electrical Tape. I think you learn over time how to do each.”
And with the added time afforded this forthcoming EP, the band also wanted to ensure it got its moniker perfectly right. “We appreciate that naming a record Sparkle Baby 2000 is completely absurd,” Orton confirms. “Thoughtfully answering equally thoughtful questions about an album called Sparkle Baby 2000 really brings me joy.”
Wanting to call an EP Sparkle Baby 2000, in this year, this musical landscape, this economy?
Hey, “Just Say So.”
Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to the band at booking@sunshineriot.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
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‘Just Say So’ artwork:
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Sunshine Riot is:
Jonny Orton - Guitars, Vocals
Jeff Sullivan - Bass
Mark Tetreault - Guitar
Steven Shepherd - Drums, Percussion
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‘Just Say So’ credits:
Produced by George Dussault at Galilee Studios in Cumberland, Rhode Island
Mastered by David Glaser
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Radio play for Sunshine Riot:
Bay State Rock, Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood, BumbleBee Radio with Kristen Eck, Christian’s Cosmic Corner, indie617, Karen’s Indies on Belter Radio (UK), Laura Beth’s Mixtape Show on Reclaimed Radio (UK), Mike on the Mic, Monie’s New Music (UK), Only Rock Radio (Spain), Salem State Radio’s Everything You Know Is Wrong, WMFO’s On The Town With Mikey Dee and Rising with Skybar, WZBC’s Virtual Detention, Your First Listen on 89.1 KNNZ, and Original Music Showcase on Mark Skin Radio, and more.
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Media praise for Sunshine Riot:
“Boston alt-rock band Sunshine Riot's new EP ‘Electrical Tape’ is full of ‘90s nostalgia and vibes, but with their own flair and identity.” -- Rebel Noise
“Fuzzed up guitars announce this is a four piece punk band and the vocals kick in with a pretty decent Kurt Cobain impression.” -- Blood Makes Noise
Bursting with an energy and adoration for music, Sunshine Riot are a rare breed. Their talent to seamlessly skip from genre to genre with ease is something to be applauded and their ability to create music not only close to their own hearts, but also forging a connection with each listener is unique… melancholic alternative rock, brimming with '90s nostalgia. -- Middle Eight (Manchester, UK)
"One of the most remarkable live acts Boston has produced in a long, long time." --The Observer
"With resounding drum lines and a set of vocals that are Cobain-tinged, Sunshine Riot keep the tempo quick and inviting to listeners." --Neufutur Magazine
"They’ve been described as Johnny Cash meets Kurt Cobain and their relentless touring across the country is garnering them an ever growing fan base of college students and fans of original music that doesn’t suck.” --Skope Magazine
"Sunshine Riot encapsulate all that can be great with rock and roll if you don't overthink it." --Nanobotrock.com
"This band has it all." -- Feedback Fury
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Press Contact: booking@sunshineriot.com or michael@publisist.co
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