It’s the Time and Place for Sunsoli
Photo credit: Jordan Cortti
Central Coast trio, Sunsoli have released their new single ‘Time & Place’. Previously known as The Sea Gypsies, the band has gone through a period of creative renewal, with the name change reflecting this growth. Combining ‘sun’ and ‘soil’, they settled on Sunsoli; a symbol of their coastal roots and musical harmony. Alongside ‘Time & Place’, the band have also announced they are delivering their self-titled album Sunsoli to the world, which the band will be showcasing in a bunch of live shows along the east coast. We interrupted the tour preparations to ask the three-piece about the new name, the new direction and the new album.
For those who don't know you, Sunsoli was originally The Sea Gypsies, what inspired the name change? Does it signal a new direction for the band?
The Sea Gypsies started over 8 years ago. Since that time we’ve had members change, until our last album Movements’. With the world changing so much in the last few years and another couple of members moving on, we were left with Dan, Luke and Joe. As Luke was the only original member of The Sea Gypsies we thought it was time to have something that reflected the three of us. We’ve grown personally and musically and we thought it's time for our name to catch up. Choosing a name wasn’t an easy process. We wanted something that reflected our roots in the Central Coast as well as our unison as a band. That’s why we combined ’sun’ and ’soli’ symbolising our coastal roots and musical harmony. We are truly grateful to our fans who have been with us throughout our Sea Gypsies days and we can’t wait to repay that loyalty with this new chapter of music.
So now as Sunsoli, what genre box are you putting yourselves into?
This has always been such a hard question to answer for us as we always see ourselves taking inspiration from so many different genres of music. If we have to put it in a box, I’d say Indie Rock/Pop. I wouldn’t say our sound has dramatically changed since our last album but rather our writing and knowledge of music has developed.
Sunsoli has just released their debut single, 'Time And Place', tell us about the new song. What does it mean to you?
Time and Place is one of the last songs we wrote on the album. It was one of Dan’s demo’s that we put to the side for years until we were looking for the right song to complete the album. Once Dan had refined the music and structure the rest of the song was basically written in a 40-minute drive to rehearsal one evening by Joe. Having a son recently felt like the missing piece of the puzzle for him. Any wrongdoings of the past, or anxieties he had melted away since bringing that perfect little human into the world.
“I think Time and Place is a good representation of going through different stages in life and forming good memories from moments in time”
'Time And Place' is our first taste of your forthcoming self-titled album, is this song a good representation of what else is on the LP?
Yeah definitely. The album explores different aspects of relationships whilst touching on the theme of light and colours. I think Time and Place is a good representation of going through different stages in life and forming good memories from moments in time. Although the rest of the songs on the album have their own unique stories, I think Time and Place showcases the idea of reflection quite well. Being a band that has been together for over 8 years now, this track sums up the theme of reflection quite well. This is something we’ve been doing a lot recently through re-establishing ourselves as a band and redefining our place within the music industry.
What did the writing & creative process look like for this album?
With Luke and Joe recently having children, the writing process for this album looked a little different. The majority of the music was written by Dan and then presented to the rest of the guys to see what they liked and gravitated towards. Our good friend Ashrae played a significant role in the writing process for this album. Some songs were a collaboration between Dan and Ash, while others involved input from all of us. I think this album explores a wide tonally and lyrically precisely due to the diverse combinations in our songwriting. While we kept the themes consistent in terms of the style of writing for the music, we achieved variation in the lyrics and melodies to give each track its own unique story.
The album is due out on the 13th of September, does the band have anything special planned to mark the occasion?
We are starting a tour on the 15th kicking off in Wollongong and Canberra. Our love is the stage and playing shows for our fans. With all that’s happened in the past few years, it will be such a reward to play our songs to our friends, family and the people who have supported us for the past 8 years.
“We are lucky that two of the best studios in Australia, The Grove and Sonora are in our backyard”
You recorded the album at Sonora Studios on the Central Coast, was it nice to be able to work in such a high quality studio in your own backyard as opposed to having to relocate to a capital city?
This record was recorded across several different studios. We are lucky that two of the best studios in Australia, The Grove and Sonora are in our backyard. I think there’s a lot to be said about what you can do in your bedroom though. Almost all the guitars and synths were recorded at Dan’s place in Newcastle with some recorded at our drummer’s (Luke Fabila) place in Avoca. In the past few years, Dan and Fabila have done some education in the audio engineering space which has allowed us to change the way we use studios. Sonora has an incredible space to pull a live drum sound and polish off any of our tracks however, we’ve really enjoyed the process of getting a solid demo track down before setting foot in a studio.
You have an official album launch tour that runs from September through to December and takes you along the East Coast. What are the best and worst things about touring and being on the road?
The best thing has to be playing to our fans. Any job in which you can travel, meet new people, and make connections is such a privilege to be a part of. When those people embrace something that you have made yourself and sing it back to you, there is no more rewarding feeling in the world. Touring definitely has its ups and downs though. Being away from our families can be tough at times, and honestly, balancing a full-time job alongside our music careers can be a juggling act. However, we keep pushing because we're hoping that someday we can make a living entirely out of music. That would be a true honour.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
Our managers, Abby Edwards and Bec Lewis, are simply incredible. We only teamed up with them this year, however, these two go above and beyond for us. It was such a natural and organic introduction, and from day one, it felt like we’d been working together for ages.
Finding the right team to support us has been a journey that took years, and we feel incredibly lucky that we stumbled upon Abby and Bec. They believed in us and agreed to take us on, and we couldn't be more grateful. Their experience, having worked with big names in the industry, is mind-blowing, and it's an absolute honour that they're now on board with us full-time. We can't wait to see where this collaboration takes us.
After the tour finishes in December, what's next for Sunsoli? How's your 2024 looking so far?
We would love to keep playing shows. This album has been a labour of love for 3-4 years, and the best part is getting to share these intricate works with the world. There's nothing like that feeling of performing and seeing the audience connect with your music. Of course, we continue to write and develop our craft, but it will be nice to get out back into the industry and meet new people along the way. There might be some festivals and such on the cards, but I guess everyone will have to wait and see…
SUNSOLI ALBUM RELEASE SHOWS TICKETS
Fri Sept 15th La La La’s Wollongong, NSW w/ Brandon Dugg & Georgia-Jean
Sat Sept 16th Live at the Polo Canberra, ACT w/ Kopasetic & Eden Plenty
Fri Oct 6th Barwon Club, Geelong, VIC w/ This Way North & Gabby Steel
Sun Oct 8th Northcote Social Club Melbourne, VIC w/ This Way North & Anna Smyrk
Fri Oct 27th Sol Bar Maroochydore, QLD w/ Flaskas & Sundaze
Sun Oct 29th Lefty's Brisbane, QLD w/ Flaskas & Tjaka
Sat Nov 11th The Lansdowne Sydney, NSW w/ The Toothpicks & Southwest Corduroy
Sat Nov 25th Drifters Wharf Gosford, NSW w/ Tyrants & Ashrae
Fri Dec 1st The Federal Bellingen, NSW
Artwork by: Luke Taaffe
Interview by Michelle Symes
August 2023