Portland, Oregon’s own Sun Atoms came through the Bay Area circuit a little while back, stopping by Kilowatt in San Francisco to give an unforgettable performance. I love being introduced to bands by seeing them live, and this was an introduction to remember.
Sun Atoms were the 3rd and final act to grace the stage that night, following performances by Rykarda Parasol and Ardent Sons. Sun Atoms were absolutely incredible to watch. Prior to seeing them live, I’d never seen a darkwave artist live. They were completely locked-in on their performance. Their passion for their music was deeply evident throughout their set. Lead singer Jsun Atoms really commanded the room while performing; the audience was fully zeroed-in on the stage through the whole set. I’ll definitely be on the hunt for tickets the next time they come through!
While I was at Kilowatt, I did pick up a 33 and a single from Sun Atoms. Their most recent album, Everything Forever, was for sale, so I had to take home a copy. I also snagged their single release for Ceiling Tiles, with a cover of Tower of Song by Leonard Cohen as the B-Side. I always love commenting more in-depth on an album’s highlights rather than generally on an album as a whole, and I’ll do the same for Everything Forever.
Ceiling Tiles, the second track on the album and the lead single, is a fantastic song. I really love the dark tone that is present throughout. The guitar melody motif is also really nice. It’s repeated throughout the song and is the highlight of the track, for me.
Following Ceiling Tiles is Mandatory, which is another dark-toned song that really embraces darkwave and synthpop. I think that Mandatory is the best showcase of lead singer Jsun Atoms’s vocals. Mandatory is hypnotic and enticing, and a bit reminiscent of 90s-era Depeche Mode. The synth motifs and what I believe to be a clarinet carry the instrumentals of this track.
The final track I’ll comment on is Bus Stop Gospel, which feels like a bit of a taste-breaker for the album. There seems to be more inspiration taken from Folk Pop than darkwave or synthpop in this song. Acoustic guitar and trumpet make up the front part of the soundscape, supported by the drums and bass guitar. The synth is also featured throughout the track, but the focus feels like it was placed more heavily on guitar and trumpet for this song. I was really surprised to hear this song on the same album as Ceiling Tiles and Mandatory.
You can find Sun Atoms online on Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp, and YouTube.
