For those with a craving for some top shelf folk-tinged Americana meets indie rock music, the debut album by Tucson, AZ quartet Soda Sun is an essential addition to their collection. On Stay Here melancholy and recently found happiness are playing catch. Songwriter John Goraj makes every word count and the ringing of Johny Vargas' guitar offers comfort. Derek Cerretani (bass) and David Foley (drums) keep it all together, weaving a gentle swaying backdrop.
Setting up shop in their home studio they captured the songs on a trusty, 35-year-old reel-to-reel 8-Track Tascam 388, a cherished piece of recording equipment with superb specs. This is a band that allows the songs to breathe. There won't be many albums where 12th Century German mysticist St. Hildegard of Bingen rubs shoulders with a song about Junkies or looks back on growing up in South Dakota (Horse and Home). The common ground on Stay Here is that each song is a story that needs to be told. Serious listeners with an open mind might even learn something.
Soda Sun:
John Goraj: vocals
Derek Cerretani: bass, vocals
Johny Vargas: guitar
David Foley: drums
Stay Here is released via Fort Lowell Records. It will be released on vinyl on October 1.
Tracks:
- Horse and Home
- Beachwood
- Junkies
- Stay Here
- Hildegard
- Gitchie
- Blood
- Birds of Paradise
