Portland outfit Sun Atoms debut their new single ‘Ceiling Tiles’ today, released via Little Cloud Records digitally and on 7″ vinyl. The video follows ghosts on a velvety caper through an endless maze, arriving at a house of cards on the verge of metaphysical collapse. The B-side complements chills with thrills with a unique rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic, here dubbed ‘Tower of Song (in the key of JAMC)’.
Anchored by a rumbling baseline of Peter G. Holmström (The Dandy Warhols, Pete International Airport), the rhythmic portents of multi-instrumentalist June Kang, Mars de Ponte (LoveBomb Go-Go) and L.A. drummer Eric Rubalcava and Boise native Derek Spencer Longoria-Gomez (Hi Hazel). Swirling keyboards, chiming psych tinged licks and the foreboding attitude dashed vocals of Jsun Atoms (The Upsidedown, Daydream Machine) craft a foreboding and bristling concoction, it has echoes of the likes of the Mission, The Sisters of Mercy, or the propulsive sound of Leonard Cohen‘s ”m Your Man’ album. The single was mixed by the iconic Jagz Kooner (Massive Attack, Primal Scream, Oasis, Garbage). This is the first taste of the band’s second album, to be released in late spring.
2021 brought the band’s debut album Let There Be Light, also produced by Holmström and mixed by the iconic Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths, The Cranberries), involving performances by the likes of The Vandelles’ Jasno Swarez, The Black Angels’ Alex Maas and Gregg Williams (Sheryl Crow, Blitzen Trapper).
“When I was a child, I saw a being made of light climb through my bedroom window, they stood at the foot of my bed and reached out to touch my foot,” explains Jsun Atoms. “Mesmerizing and haunting, much like the new Sun Atoms single ‘Ceiling Tiles’, which reveals a story of characters living under a faux sky being manipulated to make it appear that the stars are aligning, when in fact, above this tiled Truman Show, the stars are doing just that. The characters in the song go about their day-to-day dance while the globe they are spinning on becomes an eye.”
Filmed by Brady Tuazon, this video follows several characters, who come to life from of a deck of tarot cards. An amalgamation of new colors in psychedelic, dark wave, and post-modern pop, ‘Ceiling Tiles’ explores a dreamy netherworld peeling away under the heartbeat like a synthesized glove. A cautionary tale of a dystopian future, some of which is already materializing before our eyes now, we follow the characters into a mirror, where they live outside of the lines under a faux sky, only to find that the planet itself is an eye, crying rain. Do they make it through the maze of plastic plants and security guards and get the message out in order to light up the world?
As Sun Atoms kicked off 2024 by playing three sold-out shows at Portland’s historic Revolution Hall, opening for Dinosaur Jr., this presented the perfect chance to shoot this video. With its long stairways and iconic brick facade as the ideal backdrop for this monochromatic video, here unfolds a mysterious tale of characters living between worlds and connected by Jean Cocteau’s famously mirrored portal.
“Working within the boundaries of black and white let us emphasize the theme of two worlds in a psychedelic noir manner. Portraying each member as their normal selves and as a ghost version adds another layer to the duality. It makes us ask the questions, “If our own ghosts saw us today, would they be kind and encouraging to us? Or would they be spirits signaling their existence as a cautionary tale? Filming the video was a true testament of the grit and creative solidarity at the core of Portland creatives. We had limited time and resources to pull this off”.
Apart from Dinosaur Jr., Sun Atoms has played shows with Modest Mouse, Fishbone, Besnard Lakes, The Veldt and New Candys, in addition to performing at Seattle’s Freakout Fest and Portland’s Lose Yr Mind Fest with Allah Las, Broncho and Night Beats. The band will be touring this spring, starting at Treefort Festival, along with Ty Segall, A Place To Bury Strangers, Neko Case and Built To Spill.
As of February 23, the ‘Ceiling Tiles’ is available on beautiful 7″ vinyl and from fine digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. Sun Atoms will be releasing a new album in late spring.
7″ vinyl order https://littlecloudrecords.com/products/sun-atoms-ceiling-tiles-tower-of-song-in-the-key-of-jamcpre-order
Bandcamp https://sunatoms.bandcamp.com/album/ceiling-tiles-single
CREDITS
‘Ceiling Tiles’ written by Peter G. Holmström, Jsun Atoms, June Kang, Derek Spencer Longoria-Gomez, Mars de Ponte, Eric Rubalcava
Produced and Engineered by Peter G. Holmström at Air Traffic Control
Recording (additional drums) by Gregg Williams at The Trench Studio
Recording (add. vox) by Tommy Dietrick / Joshua Tree Recording Studio
Initial tracking by Eric Crespo at Red Lantern Studios
Mixed by Jagz Kooner at Stone Circle Studios
Mastered by Keith Tenniswood at Curve Pusher
Peter G. Holmström – bass, guitar, sequencers, keys
June Kang – MPC, synths, percussion
Derek Spencer Longoria-Gomez – guitar, vocals
Mars de Ponte – guitar, keys, vocals
Eric Rubalcava – drums, percussion
Jsun Atoms – vocals, guitar
Cover artwork by James Coffman. Layout by Sean Gothman
Video directed and Edited by Brady Tuazon
‘Tower of Song (in the key of JAMC)’ written by Leonard Cohen
Released by Little Cloud Records 2024
‘Ceiling Tiles’ video directed by Brady Tuazon with support from Nigel Coutinho, Ryan Gamo, Erik Meharry and Hannah Glavor
Artist photos by Erik Meharry
TOUR DATES
March 23 BOISE, ID – Treefort Festival, In-store at Record Exchange
March 24 BOISE, ID – Treefort FestivalShrine Social Club
March 25 SACRAMENTO, CA – Old Ironsides
March 27 LAS VEGAS, NV – The Usual Place
March 28 LOS ANGELES, CA – The Moroccan Lounge
March 29 PIONEERTOWN, CA – Red Dog Saloon
March 30 SAN FRANSCISCO, CA – Kilowatt
April 5 PORTLAND, Oregon – Star Theater
April 6 – SEATTLE, WA – Seagaze Festival, Tractor Tavern Seattle
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