It’s been a huge week for Brisbane alt-rock act sunbleached, who have today returned with the punchy new single and video “White Lace” and announced that their new EP I Crawled into the Hole is due 30 August. The news comes just after revealing that they will be playing at BIGSOUND 2024 and main support for UK favourites Boston Manor at three regional shows this August.
Produced and recorded by longtime collaborator Dylan Cottee, “White Lace” boasts shoegaze riffs and upbeat grooves with dynamic vocals ready for crowd singalongs. It celebrates unexpected and boundless love while exploring how beliefs can change with circumstance. Following previous singles “Hell is Repetition” and “No Cure for Life”, their latest offering is the band’s most realised track yet.
We caught up with vocalist Josh Baker to talk new music and what sunbleached have in store for the year ahead.
Happy release day! We’re so excited to hear that “White Lace” is part of a new EP, I Crawled into the Hole. Could you tell us a bit about the new single and EP?
“White Lace” is about my experience getting married earlier this year. Marriage is not something that was ever really on our radar, we were always sort of against that and traditions in general. But there came a time where my wife started to indicate that she might like that, and my stance has always been I wouldn’t want to hold her back from experiences in life that she wants, so we decided together to cave into tradition and get married! The song is also sort of like “Heavy Turn” part 2, which was written around the time when we were talking about marriage. So there’s some references to that song in the lyrics.
What has the writing process been like for the EP? What’s one aspect that has remained a constant in all of your releases?
One aspect that has remained consistent is our work with longtime collaborator Dylan Cottee. Dylan works with us from demo to finished product at the moment and at this stage we consider him a secret member of sunbleached hahaha.
What has been fuelling your inspiration for the new release? Are there any artists in particular who have helped shape and inspire I Crawled into the Hole?
As always on the vocal front, my inspiration comes from bands like Title Fight, Basement, Deftones and My Bloody Valentine. Lyrically, my inspiration comes from life experiences; there are the occasional references to our own lyrics and then the odd homage to our influences as well.
Congratulations on being included in this year’s BIGSOUND lineup! What does it mean for you to be a part of such a showcase of acts, and what do you hope to achieve there?
Thank you very much! Super stoked to be in the first wave announcement, there’s so many talented acts out there and it feels really cool to be recognised among that talent. We showcased way back when we signed with DAL for their unofficial showcase, but it feels good to be a part of the real deal this time!
First and foremost, we’ll be looking to have a good time and catch other acts playing. But we are really excited to see what meetings our new manager Rachie Whitford (27 Music) can set up, as we are looking for a label (Aus and international), an international booking agent and to connect with as many people as we can!
How are the vibes with the Boston Manor shows coming up this August? What kind of preparation goes into putting together a set supporting an international act like them?
We are feeling confident and very stoked to play some more shows with our mates in BM. It’ll be a bit weird not having our regular drummer with us, but our fill-in is a cool dude and a super talented guy, so we can’t wait to get to know him a bit better! Preparation wise it’s just rehearsing until we feel tight. Obviously we’ll be adding some new tracks to the set and we’ll be playing for longer, but there’s plenty of time between now and the dates for us to rehearse!
Is there a new song you’re most looking forward to bringing to the live stage?
We have a bit of the new material down already. I think the track I’m looking forward to playing live the most is a track that will be coming out with the EP in August. It’s a heavier song with a lot of energy, so I’m really excited to share that and see how it feels live.
Finally, what’s on your playlists at the moment? Who are you all jamming?
As always, I’m jamming Title Fight, Elliot Smith and Deftones, but some other artists I’ve been getting into recently include Downward, Prize Horse, Softcult and a band from Melbourne called Daysaints!
sunbleached will be opening for Boston Manor in Newcastle, Canberra and Geelong this August before performing alongside the likes of Stand Atlantic, Sly Withers, Dear Seattle and more at BIGSOUND in September. Add “White Lace” to your playlists, share it around and stay tuned for I Crawled into the Hole on 30 August!
