When looking at the five-piece California metalcore outfit Sunspear, their beginnings of how they got started could not be more typical for many bands on the rise. But what comes out of these up-and-coming progressive heavy-hitters is anything but conventional. While in December of 2019, they would begin to make an impression with their atmospheric and crowning debut EP Phantom Pain, nothing could prepare us for the matured sound of the debut of their recent single, "Consumer." Produced by Matt Thomas of Ashtone Audio (Darko US, Kingdom Of Giants), the track goes beyond the scope of the earlier soundscapes we were exposed to a few years back. 

Maintaining their ethereal elements, thunderous guitars patterns, precipitating drums, encompassed with brutal and flawless vocal control, Sunspear is bringing the heat of all of their talents in full force. Showing they have what it takes to be one of the most notable bands in the scene this year, the band, with conviction, proves they have a bright future ahead in the metalcore genre with a new EP set to release mid-summer of 2021. The band is here with us to talk about their new single, how their band got started, and where their blazing new futures are going this year. 

When did Sunspear get started? How did you guys come to meet in the scene?

We initially formed the group in late 2018 and began writing out some demos. All of us come from a small local scene in Northern California. We had been in bands together or played together. Our main goal was to ensure there was chemistry between us all on such a massive endeavor. Thankfully, there was. In mid-2019, we started releasing our first round of tracks!

What are your musical influences? How did they find their way into your new single “Consumer”? There is this beautiful ethereal and impactful heaviness within the instrumentals and vocals that hits you immediately.

Absolutely! We have a lot of love and respect for lots of earlier metalcore bands and newer acts such as The Devil Wears Prada, August Burns Red, Northlane, Invent Animate, & Currents. The awesome thing about music is getting to write and vibe out to whatever you’re listening to and have something natural flow out into the instruments. 

Our producer Matt Thomas over at Ashtone Audio (Darko US, Kingdom of Giants), was able to take the demo we created for this track and lean in his own experience producing metalcore. This helped us create our own unique Sunspear “sound” whether it be guitar tone, drum tone, or vocal production.

I know you guys had a full EP back in 2019, Phantom Pain. How do these two experiences differ?

With Phantom Pain, it was a little bit more cookie-cutter and predictable, whereas the newer music we’ve written has more of a mature and heavy sound. We wanted to evolve and create something that everyone enjoys. Something that wasn't expected. There’s so much range in what we’re doing now compared to back then, plus we’ve brought in some heavy names within the industry to feature on the music to make it that much more impactful.

In what ways are you changing or further developing the metalcore scene? I don’t feel anyone has to change any music genre perse or re-write the playbook, but I feel you can take sounds and further develop them to make a better single or record. If a band does try something new, it’s certainly something that has to be done for the right reasons and not to keep up with the scene.

Exactly! I think you nailed it on the head. Our biggest goal from the beginning was never to just be keeping up with trends in the scene, but just create that Sunspear sound that’s unique to us and those that listen. We all dream of being that Bring Me The Horizon or Architects type of band who are constantly creating new paths with their sounds, but we just wanna be us and hopefully, in time, we can inspire other musicians the way bands have done for us.

What do you want people to take from ‘Consumer’ that are just hearing you for the first time?

First off, we just hope that everyone enjoys the track. There’s a great heavy instrumental element to it, with a great lyrical conversation. It’s one of those tracks that can so easily get stuck in your head. We believe that it’s gonna be one of those songs that when play live that will have people going nuts in the pit. What more could you ask for?!

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Our current plan is to keep releasing tracks from this upcoming EP that should be out mid to late summer of 2021. We were able to get so many great vocalists from the metalcore scene on some of these songs so hopefully, we can continue showcasing our music to a wider audience. We would love to hit the road by this fall, but that’s something we’ll continue to monitor with this pandemic. If you’ve read this far, please go get vaccinated so we can travel, play shows and meet you all!