Sunsick Daisy x Over and Over
Sunsick Daisy
Sour candy indie rock on Kaurna land
Punchy and mature power pop. I know I’m going to wake up screaming at 3am when I remember what dance floor staple of the 90s this reminds me of, but it’s fair to say that it’s not unlike many indie anthems of that period. That’s not to suggest that it’s passé or so derivative to be uninteresting; quite the contrary.
It’s an interesting thing that happened from the sounds of late 80’s early 90’s Proto-grunge, bands like Pixies, Possum Dixon and Slint, the loud-quiet-loud dynamics that would be shamelessly redeployed by Nirvana to great commercial effect soon after. The cross-continent translation via distance and cultural traits meant that in Australia we had impeccable bands like Magic Dirt, Big Heavy Stuff, The Verys and -to a lesser extent- The Clouds, whereas in Europe and the UK, that “hush to a cacophonous scream” was employed entirely differently by My Bloody Valentine and Ride. While Sunsick Daisy isn’t disdainfully nauseating like Ash, they do borrow heavily from the sonic progeny of those aforementioned English bands. More Teenage Fanclub, Lush and Blur - and certainly students of those earlier bands.
Everything is in its place with Over & Over and no surprises; arguably a good thing, but I’d have loved a bridge or 4 bar deviation of some sort. Still and all a total gem to listen to and its familiarity made it feel more like an old friend than plagiarism/overly influenced.
Lyrics: Simple and perfect for the setting. // Composition: off the shelf but not without some personal touches. // Production: Tight. Excellent adherence to genre specifics. The layered guitar and their placements made this tune. // Performance: Earnest and on point. Nothing overplayed or gaudy in a genre that allows for grandstanding generally.
Sunsick Daisy’s single Over and Over available from 14 August, 2024