The Sonic Dawn Eclipse Archives

The Sonic Dawn Premiere “Forever 1969”; Eclipse Due Feb. 1

Posted in audiObelisk on October 22nd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Danish classic psychedelic rockers begin their third album, Eclipse, with a statement of purpose in the track ‘Forever 1969,’ and while I can’t confess to have heard the righteously titled “Psychedelic Ranger” that follows it or what’s presumably an ode to the Free City in “Christiania” later in the record, one assumes that “Forever 1969” carries its spirit through at least on some level or it probably wouldn’t be leading off. Past and future collide in their homage to the year when psychedelia began to give way to the birth of heavy rock, and while the title might remind immediately of The Stooges if only for directly calling out the end of the 1960s, The Sonic Dawn‘s jazzy progressive drift is on another trip entirely: “You like think we’re left behind/But really, man, we’re ahead of our time/’Cuz ’69 is another state of mind.”

So be it. The Copenhagen trio were last heard from in Spring 2017 with the also-set-to-be-reissued-in-early-2019 Into the Long Night (review here), which was their first LP through Heavy Psych Sounds after issuing their Halloween 2015 debut, Perception (review here), via Nasoni Records, and with “Forever 1969,” they tease a consistency of tonal warmth and melodic centrality to their method. Composition — structure, form — was a major factor in the effectiveness of Into the Long Night, which collected nine tracks from vocalist/guitarist Emil Bureau, bassist Niels “Bird” Fuglede and drummer/backing vocalist Jonas Waaben, and something else “Forever 1969” teases is a further stylistic classicism in its efficiency. It’s the album opener and it runs short at 2:44 and seems to stop itself quickly to hit that mark. Given The Sonic Dawn‘s affinity for that era, that hardly seems like a coincidence. Rather, in the style of an old 45RPM single in a crinkly paper sleeve, they’re cutting out quick, ending on the chorus, making their point and getting out. It’s an interesting turn for the band to make and another manifestation of their proto-heavy rock mindset.

The Sonic Dawn will herald the coming of Eclipse next month on a round of European tour dates with their labelmate Brant Bjork, and one assumes there will be more on Eclipse between now and the three-plus months before it sees release, so stay tuned. You can, in the meantime, stream the premiere of “Forever 1969” on the player below and dig into the album details under that, which come courtesy of the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Forever 1969 is the first single of the upcoming The Sonic Dawn album Eclipse. The album will be released 1st February 2019 via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Forever 1969 delivers a simple yet powerful message: That you can be, whoever you want to be. The 50th anniversary of Woodstock and the largest peace marches is coming up, but The Sonic Dawn are not just nostalgic. In their own words, “Times may change, but the struggle remains the same.” It is always the right time to free your mind.

THE SONIC DAWN’s upcoming “Eclipse” was recorded to tape in The Village Recording, Denmark’s best analog studio, and has been produced by THE SONIC DAWN and Thomas Vang (Roger Waters etc.). Mastered in the Svenska Grammofonstudion by Hans Olsson Brookes (Graveyard a.o.) and cut to vinyl in the Abbey Road Studios lead “Eclipse” to an ultimate sound quality.

“Eclipse”, the band’s third full-length, is the product of a full year’s labor, with 13 blistering tracks carefully selected among over more than 40 candidates. Inspired by personal tragedies and the current meltdown of the world as we know it, the songs deal with a feeling of despair that many will recognize, but also seem to say that we can heal and come out stronger, if we dare take the leap. The result is a cinematic journey in sonic technicolor with catchy melodies that cast a mysterious shadow.

New album “Eclipse” will be released February 1st and available in the following formats:
– 25 Test Press vinyl
– 250 LTD silver vinyl
– 250 LTD splatter trasp. background / black – pink fluo
– 500 LTD red solid vinyl
– Black vinyl
– CD and digital

TRACK LISTING:
1. Forever 1969
2. Psychedelic Ranger
3. The Stranger
4. No Chaser
5. Opening Night
6. Circle of Things
7. On the Edge of Our Time
8. Christiania
9. The Last Page
10. Love Bird
11. To Change Who We Are
12. Islands in Time
13. Towards the End