For those who maybe feel that Kiwi rock music has atrophied in the last few years here’s something to prick your ears up, an Auckland two-piece with epic rock intentions. Mates from way back, The Sun Gods quietly self-released a couple of EPs back in 2015 and 2017, while guitarist Konrad Kurta and drummer James Porteous were living in separate countries and enjoying their respective OEs.
Having spent just two days in Roundhead Studios early in 2022 the duo rock act have now unleashed ‘The Light Of Day’, a blistering four-song EP of undeniable merit. Obviously, they work as fast as they can play, and no question Porteous can beat a hell of a rhythm. Vocal duties reasonably fall to Kurta and he consistently impresses with intensity and variety, delivering catchy chorus after catchy chorus across the EP.
Fall In Line was released as the EP’s lead single and it drives hard with fret-burning riffs and the vocal rhythm shifting effortlessly from rock/rap (Fast Crew’s Dane Rumble interestingly comes to mind), to more straight-ahead rock, where indicative similarities stretch as far as Trent Reznor and Placebo’s Brian Molko. The point is his voice holds plenty of interest and is used in a variety of ways to match the rhythmic change-ups that keep the track consistently shifting.
Scott Seabright, who has credits with the likes of Shihad andAlien Weaponry recorded and mixed these songs, so there’s been no shortage of rock smarts involved. And it does show. The chorus to Oh Mary Mary is a real earworm, making it a radio-worthy single of mammoth head-nodding proportions, and serving a slice of Youtube video genius courtesy of the compact, theatrical and bloody video directed by Thievery’s Garth Badger. Two songs in and you already know that The Sun Gods’ gigs will be well worth the price of admission.
Ready When You Are is another strong rock track then the EP closes out with Before I Grow Old, which uses more production trickery than the others, and again illustrates Kurta’s vocal versatility. Just under a quarter of an hour with no time wasted, ‘The Light Of Day’ shines.
