Having made a long-awaited return in the middle of this year, Sunbeam Sound Machine offers another slice of his forthcoming third album with the reveal of his breezy ‘Two Summers’.
‘Two Summers’ is reminiscent of ‘In Your Arms’ (20M+ single streams) and showcases the heavily layered signature sound that Nick Sowersby has been known for. Dreamy, yet melancholic; the track’s shimmering guitars and sparkling synths contrast the downbeat tone, offering the perfect escape for listeners to be whisked away. On the creation of the track, Sowersby shares “This is one of the last songs that I wrote for the album. I’d just got a new guitar and the first time I plugged it in to do some recording these chords came out. The rest of the song followed quickly from there.” He continues on the theme saying “It’s about freeing yourself from the need to control intense feelings. Often when a song comes together quickly it can make you question its worth, but John Lee’s co-production on this song turned it into one of my favourites from the album.”
Full of fluttering synths and reverb-soaked vocals, first single ‘I Promise That I’ll Try to Give You All My Love’ premiered on triple j’s Home & Hosed with adds on Double J, PBS and Apple Music’s global indie + chill playlist alongside gracing the cover of Spotify’s The Local List.
Across his career, Sunbeam Sound Machine – the project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Nick Sowersby – has evolved a unique sonic landscape that has been lauded for its blend of beauty and melancholy, and its embrace of expansive arrangements and ideas.
Since debut album Wonderer served to introduce the project back in 2014, Sunbeam Sound Machine has amassed over 35 million Spotify streams and beautifully resonated with audiences in Australia and abroad; particularly in the United States, where Wonderer’s release on the Echo Drug Recordings opened Sowersby up to what remains one of his most successful territories to date. “Beautifully blissed-out” (Brooklyn Vegan) sophomore effort Goodness Gracious saw Sunbeam Sound Machine debut at #10 on the NACC (North American College and Community Chart) furthering his audience with the hypnotic release. In the lead-up to the new album Sunbeam Sound Machine has re-engaged fans with an announcement of a limited edition repress of his highly sought-after debut LP Wonderer which has long been out of press with original pressings currently selling for $350+ on Discogs. Pre-order HERE.
Recorded between the Australian bushfire tragedies and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sowersby’s songwriting lent itself to exploring themes where optimism and hope were never far from featuring, in amongst ideas of growth and change. Built around a core idea of fear vs love, Possum is Sunbeam Sound Machine’s journey of navigating the beauty and complexities of both.
Possum is 12 tracks of pure confidence and energy channelled through shimmering synths, rich rhythms and guitar work that buoy Sowersby’s captivating vocals beautifully. On the release, Sowersby says “It’s a much more positive album than previous ones. Musically, it’s a lot more upbeat. It’s less reflective than other stuff I’ve done. If I did have a vision, I guess it’s that I wanted it to be almost like a playlist. I wanted it to be a bit eclectic, have it go to different places.” Different places include the glittering tones of tracks like ‘Easy’ and ‘Paradise’, through to songs like ‘Mutual Life’ and ‘Worst Kept Secret’ – music that can evoke the best memories for fans of POND, Toro Y Moi or even St. Vincent.
A fusion of sounds that doesn’t alienate the record from previous Sunbeam Sound Machine work; instead, Possum stands as a continuation of Sowersby’s explorative perspective as a musician and writer. As Sowersby says, normally he doesn’t work to any one specific vision, however Possum saw him challenge himself in new ways – ultimately resulting in the record we have today. He continues “My challenge with this one was to be a lot more focused. Previous albums, they’ve been about creating a landscape and wandering around in that for a while. That’s what I wanted to do then, but you get sick of doing things a certain way. This time, it was more like, just about getting to the point of the song. Try to use everything as effectively as possible. Learning to strip things away a bit and trying to be a lot more instinctual. Going with my gut feel on everything.”
A snapshot of a period of change, peace and contentment for Sowersby, Possum reflects a refreshed outlook for Sunbeam Sound Machine. Music that leans into the artist continuing to discover more about himself and his place (and ours) in the world, Possum is a striking effort that can offer an avenue for escape, or a moment for the listener to find comfort in.
