I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with two out of the three members of Sunbendr on Friday, the day their third single ("Stay All Night") was released this summer released and honestly, we had a blast.
“I wonder,” Brandon Parkhurst (guitar and vocals) pondered. “How are you gonna tell our story?”
And this left me pondering as well because Sunbendr is not your typical band. Their Soundcloud page reads "The world is bent, but we’re not complaining … we’re writing songs about it. The good, the bad, the corrosive. The thrilling, the joyful, and the mundane. These songs are our translation."
Sunbendr grows up and stays true
Both Parkhurst and Chris Coté (bass and vocals) have been in a band together before, one you may or may not recall opening for bands like blink-182 and Green Day back in the early 2000s. Kut U Up was a punk experience that was known for antics over music (though the music was on point).
After life had happened and Kut U Up faded out of the scene, both Parkhurst and Coté realized they were not finished with music. And so, because of this, we have been blessed with Sunbendr and the addition of Frank Dixon on the drums.
While there’s still the vibrant youthful spirit at play, Sunbendr brings a (kind of) grown-up vibe for a band (and arguably an entire genre) that refuses to grow old---and I don’t necessarily mean age.
Bands change and transform. It’s what good artists do. They let their experiences shape their sound. Sometimes this irritates fans, and bands fall off the map; sometimes it results in a comeback. In this case, it results in a brand new, fresh band with that new nostalgic sound that has taken over the airwaves recently. If you haven't heard these guys, you're missing out on their refreshing, classic yet new sound.
While Sunbendr is a young band compared to the likes of those mentioned above, their sound is one that feels like it’s been in your heart since the early 2000s. For Sunbendr, the focus is on creating the kind of music you want playing cranked up with the windows down.
Taking their experiences, both shared and individual, and creating music you want to listen to that somehow takes you back in time and simultaneously propels you forward.
It's not a sound that is easily mastered, yet, this trio has managed to do exactly that---and in just about a week’s time, too!
Sunbendr worked under urgent pressure with George Perks, a friend and recording engineer, mixer, and producer, who flew into San Diego from England to help them out. They had six days to use their friend Tom DeLonge’s (blink-182, Angels & Airwaves, Box Car Racer) home studio, where DeLonge himself added some guitar to the recordings.
After that, they went to another friend, an audio engineer and music educator, Chris Prescott’s studio, for two additional days. It was not exactly what could be described as a chill recording vibe, but it was incredibly fun.
They were under significant pressure to perform their absolute best with each run through due to the extremely short amount of studio time they had. The result was an average of a song a day, and they walked away with a total of five new tunes, three of which are out now on your favorite streaming platforms!
Up next for the SoCal trio is more live shows to include a tour of at least California (fingers crossed for the East Coast!), and to create a couple of videos that capture their sound.
Sunbendr has one goal, and that is to have fun. They are a reminder that just because we are technically grown up, we don’t have to grow up in the traditional sense. We can have fun and still be grown.
Overall, Sunbendr is a beautiful study in (kind of) growing up, finding yourself, and being true to that. If you do that, you’ll have fun! It’s a win-win situation, and they are offering you the soundtrack to it!