Photo credit: Samer Ghani
Last year members of Midnight Reruns, Apollo Vermouth and Estates came together as Sundial Mottos to release an EP of dreamy, ’90s-inspired alternative. The group had all the markings of a side project, given the band members’ various outside commitments, but in the year since Sundial Mottos have stayed active, playing some memorable shows and returning for a second EP, II, that’s every bit as much of a treat as the first one.
Once again the quartet looks back to an era of underground rock they were just a bit too young to experience firsthand, looking particularly to the shimmery, sometimes jangly guitar-pop of bands like Galaxie 500, Yo La Tengo and Dead Letter Office-era R.E.M. (the EP closes with a ripper called “Rapid Eye Movement.”) As a whole the II is softer, dreamier and prettier than its predecessor, but the hooks are just as pointed. Here's hoping new Sundial Motto EPs become an annual fall tradition.
You can stream the EP below, and catch the band Saturday, Nov. 3, at Cactus Club, where they’ll play Soul Low’s farewell show along with Taj Raiden.
