Theres a lot to be said for catharsis. Channeling your internalised emotions into art or music to vent them and in the process alleviating deep seated emotional stresses and loosening those twisted knots of tangled nerves. Most bands might not readily admit that they use their music as their own piece of private therapy but English quintet The Sun Never Set freely admit that their groove slicing brand of Post-hardcore and Metalcore, is their own productive version of the Therapists Couch.
But they have not reduced their music to a raw musical representation of Primal Scream therapy. They have constructed an adroit and multi textured debut EP that surprised me in its direct and melodically explicit youthful promise. Beginning with the fluidic and highly driven song, Artforms, they skillfully weave their powerful rhythmic capacity to a melody that burrowed into my brain and laid eggs, like some fearsome rainforest insect.
They have a very impassioned style of delivery that utilises all the emotive force that one normally expects from Melodic Hardcore but they manage to augment it with flourishes of both progressive metal and Metalcore. Making certain elements sharper and more aggressive, while retaining a strong vein of harmonic interplay between the instruments. Although sharp and abrasive in its pacey petulance, The Sun Never Set never truly plumb the depths of possible heaviness. They shy away from from the fully fledged slam down Mashcore breakdown; and while this is by their own admission, deliberate, there were several moments in the EP when I felt that one would not have been unappreciated; both by myself and by those dapper denizens of the deep slam. Having said this, I must say that I am not being critical of their choices, merely referencing that while listening to the songs my reptilian lower brain sensed the onset of a slamdown but was ultimately unrewarded.
The guitars are rangy and veer from moments of rigid techy phrasing to lighter more mellifluous passages and try to cover most other bases inbetween. Having said that I must iterate that they never seem forced or cloying in the way they co-opt multiple genres and styles. It provides the attentive and determined listener with a lot to cogitate on and rock to. The drums too are voluble, powerful and facile; adapting to their musical environment with an ease that suggests there are more tricks up Joey Brayshaws musical sleeve than what his playing on here reveals.
Vocally, Luke Tyson is an amalgam of Bradley Gallagher of Aeolist and Ian Forsythe of Cyborg Octopus; in fact The Sun Never Set are quite reminiscent of the latter act. Both being bands that meld genres together with a mindfulness that is both admirable and rocking. They also produce music that would have a considerable audience given the right prevailing winds and an opportunity to have a lot of people hear their music.
One pitfall of writing music that doesn't quite sit snugly in a specific genre is that people may overlook a band because they do not fulfill their preconceptions about their own musical taste. I know that the inverse argument can be equally applied and I really hope that bravery overcomes reticence and this British act get a faur crack of the whip because they write rousing songs that naturally lean towards anthemic without ever strapping on their cliche spurs and riding towards the sunset. This is a fine line to walk and I feel that the band do it admirably. I would have liked a stand out singalong chorus or two to augment the catchiness of the music, but perhaps that is just the Girl (sorry Girls, but trust me you're better than me at everything.) in me talking. Maybe that will come with time, maybe it won't. The decision is theirs. Its their music and very enjoyable for that.
So, check them out. Stick them on while you're walking, stretch your mind and your limbs together and see if this group of Talented guys doesn't motivate extra movement and enhance your journey. They certainly did for me, and you know what? I'm all the happier for it!!
The Sun Never Set (S/T) is available to buy on the 4th of August from HERE.
– John Whitmore
