London trio Sun Bloom take the indie world by storm with their infectious new single Take It Away, out now.
The single blends surf-rock, dream-pop and indie-rock sensibilities to create a sounds that is both vibrant and refreshing. Take It Away brings with it that familiar Californian sunshine sound, with its swirling riffs, hazy hooks and soft, impassioned vocals taking centre stage. Fans of the likes of Alvvays and Frankie Cosmos will feel at home here.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Sun Bloom about the new music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
It’s such a buzz to play live. The energy the style needs means you’ve got to be completely in it, properly giving the room everything you’ve got. Surfy rock music is such a mood lifter too.. just transports you somewhere else and lifts you out of the rain. A bit of escapism.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
Since I was about 18! Not disclosing how long ago that was…
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
Being interested in and exploring different genres. I’ve probably been going for this long because I’ve wanted to try writing in lots of different guitar styles.. still a lot to cover! I always crave writing and gigging if I don’t do them for a while. Think fulfilling that need is what motivates me.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
I’ve written a lot of serious stuff in the past, and just wanted to write something fun that gave me a chance to go to town on the guitar. I wanted the songs to be a release- both to listen to and to play.
What was the last song you listened to?
Happy Unhappy by The Beths, perfect chorus.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl for sound quality! But MP3s are a bit easier to listen to on the tube…
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Something else- musicians being able to make money from streaming!!
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
So much promotion needs to be done on social media now, you’ve got to be willing to spend a lot of your life on your phone to reach a lot of people. I’m not so good at that. Gigs are a great way to attract listeners, but with small venues closing, and promoters asking you to bring minimum amounts of people, it’s hard to find well attended nights for bands in their early stages.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
We gig about once a month in venues all round london- follow us on insta or twitter (@sunbloomband for both) to find out what’s where
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
We’re on all the usual suspects, music tends to get uploaded to soundcloud first. Spotify and Apple Music as well. If you fancy saying a proper hello & a bit of a chat then find us on facebook, insta or twitter.
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Biig shout out & serious love to anyone who’s already listened to the EP and shared it around! For anyone in music needing inspiration- I heard about Ethel Symth recently. She conducted from her prison cell window. No excuses for anyone else then.
