sunshy

It’s nearly Thanksgiving, but it still feels like there’s a lot of musical ground to cover for 2024. While most of the year can hit the scrap heap, there’s certainly been a lot of music to be thankful for over the past 10 1/2 months. The indie pop coffers have been full this year, with particular respect paid to a swelling emphasis on shoegaze. The year’s been glazed to perfection with quite a few new records hitting the pedals while keeping the hooks in tact. Chicago four-piece sunshy throw a dose of heady gaze into the ring that feels like staring into the sun. Most of the new contingent clips coupons from the classes of ’90-’92, slipping in amp foam from Swervedriver, Medicine, MBV, Pale Saints, Slowdive, and Ride. Sunshy don’t swerve this trend, but they’re working from a deeper well, not just siphoning the same seethe that’s fed former topline gazers, but falling closer to the periphery, culling some clouds from Alison’s Halo (where they nick their name) and Secret Shine.

Like fellow ’24 standouts Mo Dotti and Aluminum, the record’s core is pop first, fry second. Strip away the tsunami of sound and underneath the band still has plenty going on besides a wall of guitars. With some admitted folk influences, a slight nod to ‘90s emo, and an ambient streak that shows up on interstitial tracks like “Balletmoshing,” I Don’t Care What Comes Next balances power with vulnerability. The record riffs and recoils, feeling like a diary entry fed into the fire. Behind the bluster Wes Park and Haoshu Deng have created a record that’s supple and sinewy, slaloming around hi-vis beats and sweetly strummed breakdowns before slipping back into the scorch once more. It’s one of the year’s best shoegaze offerings, even if, ironically, it’s getting lost in the noise. The year’s not over yet, no matter how many year in review emails hit the inbox, so be sure not to miss something as solid as I Don’t Care What Comes Next.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.