Sunshine Riot examine a suburban wasteland called home on ‘Parole Board’
Boston alt-rock band delivers an upbeat single about societal decay and disenchantment on Friday, August 5
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Sunshine Riot’s new EP ‘Sparkle Baby 2000’ set for September 9 release
Listen to Sunshine Riot’s summer single ‘Just Say So’ on Spotify
BOSTON, Mass. [August 5, 2022] -- Earlier in the summer Sunshine Riot released “Just Say So,” a cruising guitar-pop single that doubled as a homage to the therapeutic power of music and the healing qualities that come with songwriting. Now, like a prequel to a hit television show that pulls back the curtain and details the motivations of, and reasons for, what came before it, the Boston rock and roll brigade are set to release “Parole Board” on Friday, August 5, the second and latest track from September EP Sparkle Baby 2000.
If “Just Say So” was all about therapy, then “Parole Board,” with its throwback rock vibe, brass low-end, and sing-along chorus, explains why we’re all on the psychiatrist's couch to begin with.
“I suppose it's a story about a protagonist that grew up in small town, not-on-anyone's-radar America; the sort of place that all of us in the band grew up in,” says vocalist and guitarist Jonny Orton. “I think it's a song about the disenchantment people feel when the little town they called home gets taken over by cheap casinos and strip malls; faux, sterile luxury. The song kind of contrasts that aesthetic with the opioid epidemic that characterizes most of small-town-suburbia these days and the tragic juxtaposition of kids dying in parking lots of big new developments.” More concisely, it is essentially about the episode of The Simpsons in which Springfield got swindled into putting in a monorail.”
Sunshine Riot celebrate the release of “Parole Board” – a nice reversal as it’s usually the parole board that determines who gets released and when – with a night-of live performance at The Square Root in Roslindale on August 5. The band will be showing off a wealth of material – older tracks, selections from last year’s Electrical Tape EP, recorded in Chicago with engineer Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, and a teaser for what’s in store on Sparkle Baby 2000.
We’ve already gotten a sweet taste with “Just Say So,” a catchy college rock number dubbed “the song of the summer” by I’m Music Magazine that earned the band global online radio play and high praise from the blogs, including a premiere in The BigTakeover. But “Parole Board” shows another side of Sunshine Riot, one that takes inspiration from ‘50s-era rock and roll, stripping away the quartet’s usual adrenalized grunge assault and layers a rhythmic twirl around a dedicated waltz and a gritty horn section, bringing some brass into the mix from local Rhode Island musician Patrick Nigro.
“I love the low-end horns the most, it reminds me of the work of Morphine’s bari sax player Dana Colley,” says bassist Jeff Sullivan. “While we don’t get the exact same Parisian-night-club-full-of-smoke vibe – we would probably use an accordion player if we went for that – I think it adds so much texture.” Sullivan adds that “Parole Board” was chosen as the second single from Sparkle Baby 2000 because the “dynamic build of the song seemed very strong,” and that shines through on the finished product, which took the band several months to compile and assemble.
“One of the many reasons we love working with George Dussault, who produced the whole record,” adds Orton, “is he can not only help us arrange and write components when we show up to the studio with ideas like ‘let's add horns!’, he is also part of an incredible musical community in Rhode Island and can bring in exceptional players on fairly short notice. He brought in Patrick Nigro who played all the horn parts and did a killer job. We're thrilled with the work he did and feel lucky that great musicians are willing to work on our humble little ball of noise.”
“Parole Board” was first conceived by drummer Steven Shepherd, who wrote the core musical melodies with a retro swing band vibe in mind. “Steve envisioned it for a more straight rock and roll ‘50s song,” Sullivan notes, “and I think some of it is still there, but to me it’s kind of taken that feeling and given it a darker turn.” Adds Orton: “I think in a lot of ways the song captures what we really try to do as a band – loud/quiet dynamics and (hopefully) interesting stories.”
And that’s fully on display on Sparkle Baby 2000, the result of a band fully comfortable in their own skin after nearly 20 years in the game. Sunshine Riot are hellbent on making the kind of music they want to make – from shouting out the power of the song with a Replacements vibe, or a twirl through the dark underbelly of suburbia with big, catchy choruses and horn players. The grunge fury is still there, lurking, but for this record it’s maybe a bit more under the surface. Like that trauma we all keep locked in our mind’s vault as we visit the decaying communities from which we came.
“Musically, the record is maybe a little slower and, at times, a little quieter than standard Sunshine Riot albums,” Orton says. “But, we think the songs are good ones and we hope folks like 'em. Lyrically, I'm not sure I ever have any consistent theme across any given record. I do my best to write about images and settings that I hope folks will find relatable and interesting.”
Get on the couch.
Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to the band at booking@sunshineriot.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
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‘Parole Board’ artwork:
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Sunshine Riot is:
Jonny Orton - Guitars, Vocals
Jeff Sullivan - Bass
Mark Tetreault - Guitar
Steven Shepherd - Drums, Percussion
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‘Parole Board’ credits:
Written by Sunshine Riot
Lyrics by Jonny Orton
Produced by George Dussault at Galilee Studios in Cumberland, Rhode Island
Horns by Patrick Nigro at Galilee Studios in Cumberland, Rhode Island
Mastered by David Glaser
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The music of Sunshine Riot can be heard on:
Bay State Rock, Blood Makes Noise, Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood ,BumbleBee Radio with Kristen Eck, Christian’s Cosmic Corner (Mark Skin Radio), Everything You Know Is Wrong (Salem State), Garagerocktopia (KUCR Radio), If It’s Too Loud, I’m Music Magazine, indie617, Jammin with JenCat (Twisted Road Radio), Karen’s Indies (Belter Radio UK), Laura Beth’s Mixtape Show (Reclaimed Radio UK), Lonely Oak Radio, Mad Wasp Radio, Marc’s Alt-Rock Playground (Mark Skin Radio), Mike on the Mic (WMFO), Monie’s New Music (UK), On The Town With Mikey Dee (WMFO), Only Rock Radio (Spain), Original Music Showcase (Mark Skin Radio), Radio Warfare with Tim Livingston, Rising with Skybar (WMFO), Sunshine Music iRadio, That’s Good Enough For Me, The Bad Copy, The Big Takeover, The Music Authority, Virtual Detention/Rat Fever (WZBC), Your First Listen (KNNZ), and other fine outlets, shows, and stations.
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Recent media praise for Sunshine Riot:
“[‘Just Say So’ is] the song of the summer” – I’m Music Magazine
“I definitely hear The Replacements in there mixed with some other ‘90s stuff like Low, Pavement, Bob Mould and others. I guess it’s safe to say this Boston band digs the Midwest ‘90s sound. In my book that’s a pretty rad sound. More please!” – Blood Makes Noise
“If Electrical Tape was the drunken late-night party, this new EP is the morning-after hang as the bar re-opens; a little less primal, a little more reflective. It could be deemed a shift in sound for Sunshine Riot, but in reality, it’s just a natural progression for a bunch of dudes comfortable in their own songwriting skin.” – The Big Takeover
“Boston's Sunshine Riot have written one of the most earwormy songs of the year with ‘Just Say So.’ …This is alternative rock from back in the days when it was college rock, and besides The Replacements, this one is going to make you think of other bands from the era like The Posies and Galaxie 500. ‘Just Say So’ also brings in some of the killer power pop of a band like Cheap Trick, so there's more than a lot to love with this one.” – If It’s Too Loud
“Boston alt-rock band Sunshine Riot's new EP ‘Electrical Tape’ is full of ‘90s nostalgia and vibes, but with their own flair and identity.” -- Rebel Noise
Bursting with an energy and adoration for music, Sunshine Riot are a rare breed. Their talent to seamlessly skip from genre to genre with ease is something to be applauded and their ability to create music not only close to their own hearts, but also forging a connection with each listener is unique… melancholic alternative rock, brimming with '90s nostalgia.” -- Middle Eight (Manchester, UK)
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Press Contact: booking@sunshineriot.com or michael@publisist.co
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