Appropriately named with the UK heatwave we’re having, Szun Waves has had more than its fair share of creative issues over the last two years. The trio are based between Australia and the UK and so the saxophone (Jack Wyllie), drummer (Laurence Pike) and producer (Luke Abbot) trio have had to reassess how they create music. When beginning work on their third album, they went into the studio in 2019 for three days of live session work to come away with, expecting it to be straightforward. Then the pandemic kicked off and with the band spread apart, these extra two and a half years of gestation have allowed their otherworldly jazzy ambience to evolve. They brought in additional support from electronic artist James Holden and producer David Pye and honed their crafts.
With a cinematic and hazy emotional feel, Szun Waves could also think about how they’d like their work to be portrayed visually too. For this, the trio teamed up with visual artist Dom Harwood. Dom creates hyper landscapes and abstract art inspired by nature and life. They have an oddly satisfying feel to their movement and offer a dreamlike quality to the music. “Exploding Upwards” is Szun Waves’ lead single from their forthcoming album “Earth Patterns” and it showcases both the audio and visual treatment. The drums, sax and synths effortlessly roll like sonic waves rippling underground as if the Earth is stirring. It has an otherworldly quality too but it doesn’t feel airy – it is earthbound.
Enjoy the excellent music video for “Exploding Upwards” below, the single is out now. “Earth Patterns” is due for release on the 19th of August. You can pre-order the album and follow Szun Waves using your preferred method.
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