Sunvolume Premiere “Fever in the Funkhouse” Video
Chicago-based three-piece Sunvolume released their first two-songer last Fall. Self-titled, the outing brought forth the tracks “Fever in the Funkhouse” and “Crystallizer,” neither of which is much past two and a half minutes long, but manage just the same to signal much about the band’s intent going forward and perhaps some of what got them together in the first place. Foremost, they seem to have no time to screw around. Formed at the behest of guitarist/vocalist Justin Sanetra (also Blue Dream, Hot Box Sound Machine, and numerous others) with bassist Jimmy Russell and drummer Tristan Hardin — though Brett Sassetti is in the video and features with the band live — the about five minutes of the 7″-ready offering are rife with catchy, melodic but tonally present fare.
“Fever in the Funkhouse” very obviously knows of what it speaks. Fading in on the quick, it takes off with percussive, processed beats that remind of Genghis Tron‘s latest, but the fuzz tone of the guitar and the poppy chorus and verse (also a hook) bring to mind some of Stabbing Westward‘s skill in writing songs that were industrial rock rather than metal. Take that, a bit of Torche‘s willingness to dance, and a more solidified post-rock ambience — like if that last Hum record were boiled down to its most essential
elements — and if you can do the math on that combination in under the five minutes it takes to actually just go ahead and listen to the thing, first, congratulations, and second, why? The thing’s streaming right at the bottom of this.
Second of the two, “Crystallizer” follows suit from “Fever in the Funkhouse,” with a short bridge that comes to a dead stop before returning to a final chorus one an efficient manifestation of traditional structure that speaks to the ethic of the band as a whole. Moody heavy pop. Rock run through with an electronic current. You can do just about anything when you’ve got songwriting as your foundation, and listening to both “Fever in the Funkhouse” and “Crystallizer,” I’ve no doubt they’d work just as well as solo acoustic pieces as they do in their current form. At the rate they go, they’d make a full-length out of about 25 minutes’ worth of material, but listening to “Crystallizer” with its subtle focus on bass in comparison to “Fever in the Funkhouse,” there’s an impulse there to shift the character of their songs that will hopefully continue to serve them well whatever might come next.
To that end, the trio have already released a follow-up to Sunvolume in the form of a cover of Jefferson Airplane‘s “Somebody to Love” paired with a Sanetra-helmed remix of the same song. You can find that at their Bandcamp (linked below) after digging on the “Fever in the Funkhouse” video, which you’ll find immediately following the word “enjoy.”
Enjoy:
Sunvolume, “Fever in the Funkhouse” video premiere
Fever In The Funkhouse by SUNVOLUME
Recorded by Kane Churko @ The Hideout Recording Studios in Las Vegas
Video by Effeno Films
https://www.effenofilms.com/
https://www.instagram.com/effenofilms/
Intro filmed at Superior Street Center For The Arts in Chicago, Illinois
Concert footage filmed at The Forge in Joliet, Illinois
Radio Voice from Don Wilson at WIIL Rock 95.1 FM
Vocals & Guitar – Justin Sanetra
Bass – Jimmy Russell
Drums – Tristan Hardin
