red sun - Sound In The Signals Interview
I recently had the opportunity to interview Quinn of red sun. We discussed how they started the band, writing and recording their new EP, upcoming plans, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
Thank you so much for having us!
Can you tell me how you started the band for those who may be unfamiliar with it? How did you initially become interested in pursuing music?
So I (Quinn) did a concert band every year that I was in middle/high school, but even before that I have always been such a musically focused person. I used to make up my own songs when I was a kid and loved alternative music from a young age. Dylan (drums) and I both did band together in high school and played in separate indie bands at our school that would play together sometimes.
In fall 2022, a year after graduating from high school, I was hit up about jamming with an indie group that Dylan was drumming in. Fast forward to rehearsal and the band broke up. Dylan and I had nothing to do, and loved emo music, so we decided to start jamming together.
Originally it was us 2 and Dylan’s best friend, Kaleb. We tried some stuff and eventually made a Twitter post looking for a second guitar player. Only 1 person responded, Zeke. Zeke plays guitar, sings, and writes songs in OKC wizard-emo band “Me Too, Thanks”.
Shortly after Kaleb departed and we played for half a year with no bass player whatsoever. We went into record the EP and our producer, Trace, noticed we had no one playing bass. He joined and the rest is history.
Your band has been one of the biggest buzz bands in the indie emo scene this year. What do you think it is about your music that has been so appealing to listeners?
I think that red sun does a great job of being accessible, catchy, and still having great musicianship. But what I think is cool about our band is how authentic it is. You can tell that we are just some friends, hanging out, being friends, and doing the band thing together.
I think the greatest pull factor to red sun is just that we aren’t trying to be anything we are not. I think in this streaming age, the influencer is now the musician. This works both ways, and I think the way we portray ourselves online and in our music is refreshingly earnest.
Your new EP ‘best buds :)’ came out in April. Can you tell me about writing and recording it?
We started writing this EP in the summer of 2023 in Dylan’s dad’s garage. We obviously are very influenced by a multitude of emo artists, but I think for us the biggest at the time were oolong and Saturdays at your place. I wrote faker trying to make our bands own version of tarot cards and I think we got pretty close to it.
We recorded on 11/18/23 in Zeke’s home with Trace Brown, who later joined the band. We did all the tracks in 1 day and later re-recorded vocals and drums. We’ve had lots of compliments on the quality of recordings and I can assure you this is as DIY as it gets, in your friend’s bedroom with a MacBook.
Do you have a favorite lyrical or musical moment from the EP? Why?
My favorite is the transition from life sucks to saucy. It’s the cool moment that shows what our sound really is. We go from this straightforward 4 chord intro track into a J-rock influenced track with changing keys and riffs galore. If I wanted to show someone the red sun “sound” it’s definitely that.
The title is a nod to Mom Jeans’ debut album. What made you decide on the title ‘best buds :)’?
We obviously are enormous fans of mom jeans, they introduced many of us to what emo music was. We also are just best friends. We wanted to pick a title that reflected this sense of community and family we have built, and doing an homage to our heroes felt like an easy layup as well.
The EP came out on Thumbs Up and the cassettes they’re releasing have already sold out. How has it been working with Thumbs Up for this release? Are there any plans for other releases?
We love thumbs up. Brady is our personal friend and they have been nothing but supportive and done wonders for this band. We have a second press of vinyl launching soon and are in talks about a split this summer with a band that’s also gaining a lot of traction in emo, so keep your eyes out!!
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for having us. Music is important to us and we are so lucky that other people feel the same. Be kind to yourself and others and never forget to brush your teeth. Much love, red sun
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