Saying that Sunhaze is merely a surf/indie-pop band is kinda like saying Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice is just a detective story.  While both artists may be very Californian in style, they also both approach their respective genres in nontraditional ways: they’re each a bit strange, densely layered, slightly psychedelic and fantastically engrossing.  I’m not saying that if Pynchon wrote music instead of literature this is what he would sound like, but I could definitely imagine Sunhaze’s melancholy harmonies filling up a scene or two of the upcoming movie adaptation.

Their new single, “North,” perfectly epitomizes the five-piece’s dreamy vibe: imagine the gorgeously interwoven vocal melodies of Cali-pop predecessors like The Mamas & The Papas shot into the cosmos and tripping on cough syrup.  Then you only get the faintest idea of what makes this group so unique.  Listen closely and you’ll be hypnotized by the understated tom and cymbal bell-driven drumbeat, entranced by the spacey guitar tone and, of course, enchanted by those beautiful voices weaving together so seamlessly, all the individual elements adding up to one big lush sonic atmosphere that induces an ethereal, floating sensation within the listener.