Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By SunMan, Universal Music 2023.
SunMan is the latest South African band to grace our airwaves, following on from Indie Dog whose excellent album, Theory of Emotion, I recently reviewed.
SunMan are new having released their first music in 2021 but they have already achieved some success in their home country with their debut two-track EP, Gone Electric, creating some radio interest and coming to the attention of important people in the music industry.
Porcelain Boy is their follow up EP and it’s substantially longer at six tracks.
The band consists of Luca Paterson-Jones on vocals, Zac Hasenfuss on guitar, and keyboardist/producer Niclaus Duvenhage.
Their sound is heavily synths based with most tracks having a nice balance of light and dark in the contrast of the lightness of the finger picked guitar juxtaposed against deep brooding synths.
Luca Paterson-Jones has a beautiful voice that is capable of reaching high falsetto while maintaining its delicacy.
The songs on Porcelain Boy are dreamy and delicate perfectly in keeping with the album title and the track of the same name.
There’s a fragility that’s carried through the music and lyric content, as well as Luca’s delightful vocals.
SunMan are a different proposition to Indie Dog.
They’re inhabiting the electric-pop/emo-pop genres whereas Indie Dog are inclined towards indie rock/soul styles.
SunMan are the latest South African band to be picked up by Apple Music’s Up Next playlist.
This is a real feather in their cap and is bound to open up a myriad of opportunities for them.
The Apple project features the most dynamic of the new and emerging artists, handpicked by Apple music editors, to be championed and supported.
This opportunity should be a game changer for the band. They have already gained access to international markets like Australia.
