With their gritty yet laid-back sound, Sunset Sons fall somewhere between the pop-Americana of Tom Petty, the rock heft of Kings of Leon, and the beachy alt-rock of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Emerging from a group of British and Australian surfers based in the French coastal city of Hossegor, the band made waves on streaming sites with their first EP, 2014's Le Surfing. Their full-length debut, Very Rarely Say Die, reached the U.K. Top 25 when it arrived in 2016.
Drawn to the legendary surf locale of Hossegor for its waves and laid-back culture, the founding lineup of Sunset Sons came together at a local hangout called Le Surfing, which was owned by the cousin of bassist Peter Harper. One night in 2013 after working a shift there, singer/pianist Rory Williams drunkenly pounded out a set of cover songs on the bar piano while future drummer Jed Laidlaw watched in fascination. The two met and decided to form a band to play the city's nightclub scene. After recruiting Harper and guitarist Robin Windram, Sunset Sons were born.
Surfing by day and gigging by night, they built up a regional fan base while slowly turning their covers set into an originals set. Recorded in just four days, their aptly titled Le Surfing EP made a strong showing on rock streaming charts in early 2014 and prompted immediate interest among several labels. After signing with Vagrant Records, they released their second EP later that year. It was packaged together with Le Surfing under the new title No Bad Days and again surged on streaming charts. The group found more success the following year, earning a nomination for the BBC Sound of 2015 alongside more sold-out shows and positive live reviews.
They went on to release their third EP, The Fall Line, in March 2015. Later that month, the band flew to Nashville to begin work on their debut full-length release with producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon). While they focused and underwent extensive recording sessions for the album, Sunset Sons released their fourth EP, She Wants, in July 2015, following it late in the year with an international tour in support of Imagine Dragons. The finished album, entitled Very Rarely Say Die, was released on the French Exit label in April 2016 and went to number 25 in the U.K. Two of the band's songs were featured in the video game Guitar Hero Live.
Windram departed the lineup to in early 2018, and the group moved to Manchester U.K. label Lab Records for The River EP, released later that year. It was produced by Catherine Marks (Frank Turner, Wolf Alice). Marks returned for their second long-player, Blood Rush Déjà Vu, which arrived on Bad Influence in November 2019. ~ Timothy Monger & Rob Wacey
