red sun – “red SUNFO” | Single Review
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Thumbs Up Records
Is there something in the water in Oklahoma? The Sooner State is home to a growing emo scene, producing bands like Ben Quad, Cliffdiver, and now red sun. The latter act released their first song, “Officer Jenny,” on a split last year with fellow OK bands The Others Like Us and Me Too, Thanks. Now they’re preparing to release their debut EP on Thumbs Up Records, and the first single is called “red SUNFO” – a mash-up of their name with another fellow Oklahoman band, SUNFO.
This new dispatch from red sun feels like a clear and immediate level-up from the production found on “Officer Jenny,” beginning with a digitized guitar lick that is quickly joined by the rest of the band, including some brief dueling vocals that help bring the track to life. The first two verses feel inspired by Algernon Cadwallader, with a pair of jangly guitars offering complementary tapping leads and one of the two voices sounding reminiscent of Algernon’s Peter Helmis. In this opening section of the song, the two vocalists take turns airing out their frustrations toward a faceless figure who considers them overrated. After the first two verses, however, a quick sound clip of streamer FaZe Jev leads into a more straightforward pop-punk turn through the rest of the track.
Here, red sun slows down just a bit to build up to the song’s main refrain. Lead vocalist Quinn Wilcox steps right up to the mic and begins this section by singing:
I hate waking up to the same song every morning
After running through the line a few times, things are pared down to just the first four words on repeat, soon joined by some gang vocals to back Wilcox up. Underneath the roaring shouts, dual guitars continue playing off one another, driving the track toward its conclusion. The song also includes some occasional drum fills peppered in to keep the energy high until the two-minute track comes to a close.
red sun might not be breaking new ground here, but “red SUNFO” proves that the band can write catchy songs. There is room to grow and take their music in new directions, but “red SUNFO” nails all the essential elements of the modern emo/pop-punk sound currently led by bands like Hot Mulligan.
One thing that “red SUNFO” excels at is not overstaying its welcome. Keeping songs short and intense is a time-honored tradition in the various forms of punk rock over the last 50 years, and it’s a lesson red sun seems to have taken to heart. While there’s nothing wrong with expansive and exploratory music, there is something to be said for making a piece as short as possible while still maintaining what it’s meant to be. With this single, red sun delivers everything you need in a two-minute burst, and you almost feel as though the band is in the room with you, playing the song live. With a debut EP lined up in the months ahead, listeners will be able to experience more of what red sun has to offer soon.
Nick Miller is a freelance writer from Ypsilanti, Michigan, primarily writing about the world of professional wrestling. He also enjoys playing music, reading, tabletop RPGs, and logging Letterboxd entries (AKA watching movies). You can find him on X at @nickmiller4321 or on Instagram at @nickmiller5678.
