With their first full length Tomorrow is Alright, Sonny and the Sunsets have created a simply wonderful West Coast pop album, led by the whimsical songwriting of Sonny Smith. Smith’s been a cult hero around the Bay for a while: Chuck Prophet formed a record label in order to release his 2006 solo album Fruitvale and John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees), Tim Cohen and Shayde Sartin (The Fresh and Onlys) were among the contributors to the new album.
Sonny and the Sunsets – “Stranded” (Live at The Knockout, Mission Creek Music Festival 2009)
But enough about the names and the pedigree. This is great rock-pop music: not bedroom music per se, but possessing an uncommon sense of personality that validates the label’s comparisons to Jonathan Richman. Soft Abuse says there are only going to be 500 copies of Tomorrow is Alright, and if there’s any justice, they will be gone quickly.
You can preorder Tomorrow is Alright now, and Soft Abuse will ship it before the November 17th release date. Sonny and the Sunsets have two shows coming up: a record release party at Amnesia on October 30th (with Sean Smith & the Present Moment, Donovan Quinn & the Thirteenth Month, and The Sandwitches), and at The Knockout on November 13th (with Perspehone’s Bees, The Stilts and Thorny Brocky).
