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Released on October 30, 2015 via Tee Pee Records
Whilst we have never been short of 60’s revivalists with that decade often making an acclaimed “comeback” bordering on the over zealous, it is sometimes a surprise to find a band who approach the often copied sound of the Nuggets era in such panache. That is what French psych band Sunder do, and more on this debut album as they unravel the mists of time to take us back to those “heady” days.
And whilst they may peddle in a particular brand of “head music”, they do it with such vigour that you simply cannot help falling for them. In fact, if you are not grabbed by their charms by the end of this album then you need to check your pulse.
Using the organ as the bedrock to their swirling psychedelia, Sunder delight in delivering nugget after nugget of sublime music. From the whirligig opening of ‘Deadly Flower’ through to the final, soaring vocals of ‘Lucid Dreams’, they never let up in their quest to take you away from reality for just a while and hopefully put a smile on your face.
In between there are delights such as ‘Cursed Wolf’ with its undertone of The Stones’ ’19th Nervous Breakdown’ acting as a reference point before dipping you into a lysergic mid-section of organ and fuzz guitar, ‘Wings Of The Sun’ betrays a more languid side until it lifts off with some glorious pop vocals and the darker ‘Eye Catcher’ introduces a deeper side to the band as they explore less commercial avenues towards albums end.
There is little to fault here and whilst it may not be original you could very well mistake Sunder for being a long lost act from that bygone age. They cover all bases leaving a very fulfilling album and also leave you wanting more, which can only be a good thing. We could do with more bands like this and once that happens we can really get a great 60’s revival off the ground. Until then, it all rests on the shoulders of this quite wonderful little album. A nugget in a sea of unoriginality.
