‘Same Sun’: Still Blank explore their transatlantic influences
With one foot in the States and the other in the UK, Still Blank bring the mixed bag musical legacy of both to ‘Same Sun’, the grunge-laden teaser that announces the upcoming release of their debut.
Let’s divide up the parts, shall we? It’s almost easy to spot that the band’s guitarist is from Manchester. Joy Division and New Order come through loud and clear as influences the second that guitar kicks in, dripping with distortion that keeps it sitting on the golden line between shoegaze and grunge, which is arguably the exact spot where Manchester’s own brand of post-punk has always lived.
But from Hawaii-born singer Jordy, there’s a truly DIY feel to it all. Sure, the UK has garages, but when it comes to garage bands and the energy of young musicians figuring it out as they go along, relegated to the cold and dusty garage and bothering the neighbourhood until they do – America has that locked down.
There’s a curveball third spot in the recipe. The two met during a chance encounter in the Liverpool music scene. Perhaps ‘Same Sun’ doesn’t sound anything like the Mersey Beat legacy there. But across the four songs already making up their incoming debut, what they do seem to take from the city’s heroes is the breadth of songwriting, and the refusal to limit themselves to just one sound as this new track is heavy and angsty, while ‘What About Jane’ is softer, sweeter and more wistful.
All together though, this is the sound of a band in flux, which always feels exciting. While some of the best albums were made when a group was utterly trapped in the same room together, others were made with distance.
As Still Blank speak of their own experience as a transatlantic unit, they said, “This was a transformational period of our lives, which is reflected throughout the entirety of the record. Some of the songs were written when we first met, some on other sides of the world while navigating separation, and others born into existence in less than a day, after we initially thought we’d finished the record.” Breeding an exciting form of variety simply through those difference contexts, we’re intrigued to hear what other emotional textures will come into play.
But for now, ‘Same Sun’ is a good sign. Another hooking teaser to get ears onto another exciting new band, this is a perfect track for a gloomy October day, just like today.
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