SUN ATOMS – “CEILING TILES”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
‘Chills, thrills and psychedelic pills’ could very well be the motto of the new single from West coast rock-gaze outfit Sun Atoms, which we have the pleasure of presenting today for the very first time. Called “Ceiling Tiles”, this is a hauntingly potent offering that precedes the band’s next album, out in spring via Little Cloud Records. So far as we are speaking about the current single, it’s not only going to be downloadable for all you MP3 / digital music freaks and streamers, but will also be made available as a physical product – namely 7″ vinyl.
If that alone isn’t enough to entice you, the B-side to this single plays tribute to one of Canada’s best artists ever – they bring us a matchless rendition of a Leonard Cohen classic – “Tower of Song (in the key of JAMC)”. Both tracks are thoroughly enjoyable. We appreciate their artistic leap into an enthralling intersection of post-punk, indie rock and new wave. Worthy of your “put on repeat” playlist, this music offers a gateway for your consciousness to coast into fascinating sonic realms.
With a fine tradition of pairing world-class audio and visual content, for this release, they certainly do not let us down on this release – you could even say they’ve gone above and beyond (no pun intended). Filmed by the talented Brady Tuazon, the video follows ghosts on a velvety caper through an endless maze, arriving at a house of cards on the verge of metaphysical collapse, pursuing several characters, who come to life from of a deck of tarot cards.
An amalgamation of new colors in psychedelic, dark wave, and post-modern pop, “Ceiling Tiles” explores a dreamy netherworld peeling away under the heartbeat like a synthesized glove. A cautionary tale of a dystopian future, some of which is already materializing before our eyes now, we follow the characters into a mirror, where they live outside of the lines under a faux sky, only to find that the planet itself is an eye, crying rain. Do they make it through the maze of plastic plants and security guards and get the message out in order to light up the world?
Written around a compelling baseline by Peter G. Holmström (The Dandy Warhols, Pete International Airport), who also produced this single, the single was mixed by the iconic Jagz Kooner (Massive Attack, Primal Scream, Oasis, Garbage). This is the first taste of the band’s sophomore album, to be released in late spring.
Vocalist Jsun Atoms (The Upsidedown, Daydream Machine) is joined by Holmström on bass, multi-instrumentalist June Kang, Mars de Ponte (LoveBomb Go-Go), L.A. drummer Eric Rubalcava and Boise native Derek Spencer Longoria-Gomez (Hi Hazel). 2021 brought the band’s debut album Let There Be Light, also produced by Holmström and mixed by the iconic Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths, The Cranberries), involving performances by the likes of The Vandelles’ Jasno Swarez, The Black Angels’ Alex Maas and Gregg Williams (Sheryl Crow, Blitzen Trapper).
“When I was a child, I saw a being made of light climb through my bedroom window, they stood at the foot of my bed and reached out to touch my foot,” explains Jsun Atoms. “Mesmerizing and haunting, much like the new Sun Atoms single “Ceiling Tiles”, which reveals a story of characters living under a faux sky being manipulated to make it appear that the stars are aligning, when in fact, above this tiled Truman Show, the stars are doing just that. The characters in the song go about their day-to-day dance while the globe they are spinning on becomes an eye.”
As Sun Atoms kicked off 2024 by playing three sold-out shows at Portland’s historic Revolution Hall, opening for Dinosaur Jr., this presented the perfect chance to shoot this video. With its long stairways and iconic brick facade as the ideal backdrop for this monochromatic video, here unfolds a mysterious tale of characters living between worlds and connected by Jean Cocteau’s famously mirrored portal.
As Sun Atoms roams this 113,000+ square foot state-of-the-art concert venue, Brady reveals two worlds, weaving through each other’s transparent personas and disappearances like white light on black attire. The band members appear like rare birds in the roles of madcap non-conformist odd fellows living outside of the lines.
“I wanted to conjure the same feelings I had the first time I saw Sun Atoms perform this song. Jsun and I were in lockstep as we discussed the vision for the video. We pulled in inspiration from Jean Cocteau and other noir films like “The Killing” by Kubrick,” explains the video’s director, Brady Tuazon.
“Working within the boundaries of black and white let us emphasize the theme of two worlds in a psychedelic noir manner. Portraying each member as their normal selves and as a ghost version adds another layer to the duality. It makes us ask the questions, “If our own ghosts saw us today, would they be kind and encouraging to us? Or would they be spirits signaling their existence as a cautionary tale? Filming the video was a true testament of the grit and creative solidarity at the core of Portland creatives. We had limited time and resources to pull this off”.
Apart from Dinosaur Jr., Sun Atoms has played shows with Modest Mouse, Fishbone, Besnard Lakes, The Veldt and New Candys, in addition to performing at Seattle’s Freakout Fest and Portland’s Lose Yr Mind Fest with Allah Las, Broncho and Night Beats. The band will be touring this spring, starting at Treefort Festival, along with Ty Segall, A Place To Bury Strangers, Neko Case and Built To Spill.
As of February 23, the “Ceiling Tiles” is available on beautiful 7″ vinyl and from fine digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. Sun Atoms will be releasing a new album in late spring.
CREDITS
‘Ceiling Tiles’ written by Peter G. Holmström, Jsun Atoms, June Kang, Derek Spencer Longoria-Gomez, Mars de Ponte, Eric Rubalcava
Produced and Engineered by Peter G. Holmström at Air Traffic Control
Recording (additional drums) by Gregg Williams at The Trench Studio
Recording (add. vox) by Tommy Dietrick / Joshua Tree Recording Studio
Initial tracking by Eric Crespo at Red Lantern Studios
Mixed by Jagz Kooner at Stone Circle Studios
Mastered by Keith Tenniswood at Curve Pusher
Peter G. Holmström – bass, guitar, sequencers, keys
June Kang – MPC, synths, percussion
Derek Spencer Longoria-Gomez – guitar, vocals
Mars de Ponte – guitar, keys, vocals
Eric Rubalcava – drums, percussion
Jsun Atoms – vocals, guitar
Cover artwork by James Coffman. Layout by Sean Gothman
Video directed and Edited by Brady Tuazon
“Tower of Song (in the key of JAMC)” written by Leonard Cohen
Released by Little Cloud Records 2024
“Ceiling Tiles” video directed by Brady Tuazon with support from Nigel Coutinho, Ryan Gamo, Erik Meharry and Hannah Glavor
Artist photos by Erik Meharry
Why not take this occasion to also enjoy the band’s 2021 album Let There Be Light, also released via Little Cloud Records:
Sun Atoms
[Single]
(Little Cloud Records)
Release Date: February 23, 2024
TOUR DATES
March 23 BOISE, ID – Treefort Festival, In-store at Record Exchange
March 24 BOISE, ID – Treefort FestivalShrine Social Club
March 25 SACRAMENTO, CA – Old Ironsides
March 27 LAS VEGAS, NV – The Usual Place
March 28 LOS ANGELES, CA – The Moroccan Lounge
March 29 PIONEERTOWN, CA – Red Dog Saloon
March 30 SAN FRANSCISCO, CA – Kilowatt
April 5 PORTLAND, Oregon – Star Theater
April 6 – SEATTLE, WA – Seagaze Festival, Tractor Tavern Seattle
Artist Links
Background Photo Credit: Erik Meharry
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