Sun Country

I’m sure you’ve all heard the expression “good things come in small packages”, but in the case of Sun Country, great things come in small packages. Sun Country, a six-piece indie rock band from Cincinnati, released a 4-track EP, Appetite, in September of 2013. I have no clue how it took so long to make it my way, but I sure as hell am glad it did. Seconds into the first track, I knew I was in for a good listen.
With a crash of cymbals, the album starts. “Mature Woman” leads off the 4-song EP. This catchy rock track has a nostalgic feel to it, maybe because of the bouncy bass line or the repetitive Gin Blossom-esque vocals of the chorus. “Oooh’s” back the main vocal track throughout the song. Eventually it grows into a folky electric guitar solo before it comes to a end.

“Mature Woman” is definitely the stand-out track of the album. As the album progresses, there are some softer tunes that aren’t quite as energetic but still remain intriguing. The second track, “Printed in Plastic”, features glossy guitar and soaring vocals. It fades out and transitions into the delicate picking of the title track, “Appetite”. This is the most mellow of the bunch with steady guitar and haunting vocals creating a desolate tone. It doesn’t boast a big climactic part; it’s instead kind of woeful and beautiful, with a definite Modest Mouse vibe. If nothing else, just treat your ears to “Appetite”. For the love of God, listen to this song.
Gently picked guitar leads and subtle violin accents are strewn throughout the track ”Kneel Before Todd”. Those accents along with melodic bass lines and soothing vocals all come together to create an absolutely dreamy atmosphere. Even at the climactic parts it is still sounds soft. “Kneel Before Todd” ends with ambient guitar and swirling vocals that somewhat call to mind Psychic Babble (but with a violin).

Sun Country’s Appetite is an intriguing EP that spans a few different interpretations of the indie-pop genre. The outfit have produced a wonderfully touching album with instrumentation that effortlessly influences the listeners mood. Appetite is one of those albums that makes logical transitions between songs, but at the end, you kind of wonder how Sun Country ended up where they did. It’s fascinating, and a highly recommended listen. - midwestaxn.com

11:15 was the hardest choice of whom to see, but I went with Sun Country at Below Zero Lounge and I’m not disappointed with that decision. The band crammed onto the tiny stage and rivaled Low Cut Connie for best energy of the festival. The sextet came alive, dropping their introverted personalities, peeling themselves from the wall and feeding off of the crowd’s energy. The saddest moment of the fest came when I had to leave their set early to head over to Daughter, which was rumored to reach capacity quickly. - thenowsound.net

Sun Country is a sextet of musicians from other cities and musical backgrounds that converged in Cincinnati and developed an acoustic, rootsy sound before morphing into a sparkling, full-blooded, electric Indie Rock band with great melodies and vocals and a dreamy, textural ambiance. The band — whose members add the occasional violin, glockenspiel, mandolin, synth sounds and other unique ornamentation to the mix — are dedicated tour dogs, traveling coast to coast for shows all over the U.S. Sun Country has released a handful of EPs and recently celebrated the release of its debut full-length. - mpmf.com

Young Cincy-based up-and-comers Sun Country played to a packed and rabid hometown crowd at Below Zero Lounge, and it amounted to nothing short of a major coming out party for those who were uninitiated with their music or charismatic live show. Having an Indianapolis connection via InStore Recordings (who recently released the 12-inch vinyl of their self-titled EP in early September), Sun Country made a strong case for becoming a household name in the Midwestern DIY circuit in the very near future.

Sounds like early Modest Mouse with ramshackle T. Rex swagger, and instrumental shades of a more down-to-Earth Funeral-era Arcade Fire. - divisionstharmony.com

Sun Country is a five piece band from Cincinnati. According to their bio they like to sit on a porch and sing songs about animals. They also like to sing songs about whiskey while singing songs about animals. As much as Sun Country guards themselves with hilarious false description the music they create is completely honest and driving. Ripe with freshness, beautiful melodies, excellent lyrical foundation, and texture created from a group of young men you can’t quite tell like each other or simply hate one another. - cincygroove.com

There is a beast stirring in Cincinnati, a trumpet sounding softly in the dark night. For too long, this city has gone without. No cohesion, no sense of purpose. A scene, never heard. Where some towns are known for moving, defining musical output, a culture in and of itself, our claims to fame have been fleeting, ethereal, elusive. Tonight, however, in Northside, you can open doors and listen to a city slowly, melodically – and methodically – finding its way.

At Northside Tavern, long a beacon of underground indie culture in our fair city, The Mitchells, State Song, and Sun Country offer 3 variations on a theme, 3 sides of the same coin. Sun Country sounds like mid-summer sunlight, radiant and lulling, enveloping, yet airy. State Song, though, calls back to mid- and late-90’s fuzz, never attaining any unwanted heaviness, treading the line ever so delicately between eclectic and straightforward.

If a band were to craft a statement of purpose, subtle and unsuspecting , The Mitchells have whispered a declaration, catching an entire city resolutely looking the other way. Their Bird Feather EP is a sharp lesson in understatement – refined, though never to the point of satire or pretension, restrained, yet bursting at the seams. Indie folk can be treacherous when mishandled, ironic without any sense of fun. It can easily, and quickly, lose its way, and in turn, lose the listener’s interest. Not so with The Mitchells. Yearning, earnest, never saccharine, their live show is an act of humble intensity. Stuttering, insistent drums, strings and piano that maneuver through each track nimbly without getting lost, twinkling, evocative guitar work, low level vocals that still hover above quietly moving musicianship.

Northside Tavern is the most sensible location for these bands to hold court, an homily to what is guaranteed to be a captive crowd. It isn’t gospel they’re preaching. It most assuredly is a revival.

The Mitchells, State Song, Sun Country
Northside Tavern
10p
FREE
- cincymusic.com

The negative wind chill outside was no match for the warmth of the White Rabbit Cabaret Thursday night. Good drinks and loud music make a lovely pair.
Local treasure Christian Taylor opened with a low-key mostly solo set that loosened the joint. Cincinnati’s Sun Country followed – the first of two shows in Indy within the week; the other at Melody Inn on 2/7. It was my first exposure to the band and I really liked what I heard. The six-piece trades in a kitchen sink style of melodic pop — three guitars, mandolin, fiddle, and even video game sounds — that somehow congeal into catchy brew. What the band has available to hear online has a more acoustic feel than the wall of noise they trotted out Thursday, but that isn’t a bad thing. I like when a band catches me off guard. Paper Thick Walls did the same in 2012. I’m not sure how all six guys are going to fit on the Mel stage next week but it should be a good time.
Local kings of the mountain the Bonesetters ended the night with their unbeatable blend of indie pop. Dan and the guys have been working in several new songs, which was a bonus. I’ve run out of superlatives — if you haven’t seen them, make an effort and help them blow up.
It’s February, so the concert calendar is heating up, Indy. Get out there. - indyrocklive.com

If you’re a fan of Kings of Leon, then Sun Country is one to go see. Sun Country also played at Baba Budans, where the cozy coffee shop atmosphere lent itself perfectly for this band’s bluesy rock sound. Lead singer Billy Hodge has the perfect blues voice, with a sound of urgency in it that makes the lyrics resonate in a way that most bands can’t. The band also had a few tracks with a bluegrass/rock feel that made you feel like you were sitting on the porch just kicking it. “Like the Light” is my top pick from this Cincinnati band and is definitely worth the listen. - Emily Latham, Urban Cincy

Sun Country ended up running 30 minutes behind, which meant I was both buzzed and irritated, which is deadly when combined with Twitter access. Seriously dudes, learn a thing or two about direct inputs. On the plus side, the band has clever marketing skills. - Drunk Music Reviews

I’m really getting in to this band now, it still surprises me that I read about them off a YouTube comment - tumblr

I’m really getting in to this band now, it still surprises me that I read about them off a YouTube comment - tumblr

You ever hear a local band and just know that the public is going to like them? That’s how I felt when I heard Pomegranates and Walk the Moon. Now, enter Sun Country. According to the band, they’re a 5-piece that likes to sit on their porch and sing songs about animals and whiskey. Sounds promising. And after a listen, uhhh, ohmygosh, go to the band’s Bandcamp site, listen and listen well, because this is good stuff. -Daniele Cusentino - Metromix Cincinnati