EP REVIEW: The Sunday Sadness – The Sunday Sadness
THE SUNDAY SADNESS are a group of four friends from France, who came together to blend their love of 80s synth wave, alt-rock and hip-hop. It’s an interesting combination for sure, and one that comes together on their self-titled debut EP, self-released and out now. The band themselves are keen to point out that they spent a long time crafting this record, trying out a number of different arrangements in order to create a sound that was inherently their own and like nothing that had been heard before.
To say THE SUNDAY SADNESS don’t have potential is wholly unfair; the EP is a curious listen that displays a good knowledge of the styles they’re influenced by and a decent attempt at bringing them all together in a coherent and pleasing manner. That said, it’s a very innocuous beginning; lead single Lost In The Crowd unfortunately lives up to its title rather well, with a forgettable electro-pop beat backing up a teeny-bopper chorus and rap interlude that fails to stand out. Damn I Hate It starts better, with a more pop-rock orientated feel and does just enough to build a small amount of momentum; however the unnecessary voice box effect on the backing vocals do not lend any favours to the track and it remains nothing special. Someone brings the retro synth effects into play as per the band’s desire to add a throwback flavour, but it’s again nothing particularly special and rather than building on the previous tracks merely keeps things at a tepid, middle-of-the-road pacing.
Found in the middle is High Beams, a 94-second interlude that is darker in tone than the first half and it’s here that things begin to pick up as THE SUNDAY SADNESS tap into synthwave territory, a genre that has garnered a lot of coverage over the past twelve months and is spearheaded by fellow countryman CARPENTER BRUT. This segues into The Hunger, the stand out track that also tips its hat to another Frenchman, this time the pioneering Jean Michel-Jarre with its Oxygene-esque opening. The guitar solo in the middle is a further nice touch and it seems that THE SUNDAY SADNESS have found their stride and can kick on from here. Sadly, it proves to be a flash in the pan; The Wrong Way is a weaker effort with very little substance behind it and despite the band’s wishes to incorporate a degree of hip-hop into the mix, the rapping vocals once again fall flat. Closing the EP is Sad Songs, with more rapping and an electronic foundation that brings ENTER SHIKARI to mind, but despite this it comes up short on holding the listener’s interest and as such one can find themselves disengaging with the music altogether, which is never a good sign for any musician.
As previously mentioned, THE SUNDAY SADNESS must be given credit for trying something unique and if you’re a fan of the current output by BRING ME THE HORIZON, the strains of OWL CITY or even fancy a mid-00’s trip down memory lane every now and then with HELLOGOODBYE, you’ll probably find the odd moment on this EP to enjoy for a period. But the fact that the overriding feeling coming away from this record is an elevated appreciation for the direction that both BRING ME THE HORIZON and FALL OUT BOY have taken in recent years says everything you need to know about this largely bland and inoffensive release.
Rating: 5/10
The Sunday Sadness is out now via self-release.
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