Sunday (1994) are an Anglo/American band that formed when Paige Turner met Lee Newell, and the enigmatic drummer Puma. They have been capturing our hearts all year with a string of fantastic indie pop singles ladled with cinematic textures, the gorgeous vocals of Turner, and earworm melodies, scattered with some surprisingly brutally honest couplets.
Newell reveals “We uploaded a few songs to Tik-Tok to finally see if we were criminally insane or if indeed these songs could mean something to someone. Instantly we had thousands of views and people begging us to release them. We picked our jaws up off the floor and got to work.”
Introducing themselves with their gorgeously swooning debut single, ‘Tired Boy, ‘ one of the best songs of the year; a golden slice of dreamy pop songwriting, that will wrap itself around your heart with its honesty and melodic sigh, Turner explains, is about “being in love and ultimately jealous with someone so careless and clumsy, yet somehow everything always falls into place for them.”
They released the deluxe version of their excellent self-titled debut EP, in September featuring excellent songs like the chiming ‘Stained Glass Window,’ about being in love with someone that’s forbidden by religion, ‘TV Car Chase’, the wistful and introspective ‘Blonde‘ and gorgeous recent bittersweet gem ‘Blossom’, the extended EP explores themes of early romance and separation. With elements of everyone from the elegant pop of The Sundays, The Cranberries to even the melodic scope of Taylor Swift, or the piercing honesty of Lana Del Rey, yet still managing to sound like they are crafting their own worlds. We are falling hard for Sunday (1994). We sent them questions to get to know the band a little better, Lee Newall responded below.
Hey, how are you today?
We’re great thanks, yourself? We’ve been busy writing and recording the follow up to our deluxe EP that came out in September.
How did you meet?
Paige and I met at the Palladium in Los Angeles in 2014, and from our very first exchange, we talked about making music together. It only took us 10 years to finally do it. Our drummer, Puma, appeared as if by magic, traveling from Washington, D.C., via Peru, and Sunday 1994 was born.
Where did the name Sunday (1994) come from ?
We wrote our first song on a Sunday. Tired Boy. It sounded like a Sunday. Melancholy, hopeful and helpless. We bonded over a love of film and so we thought it would be awfully clever to stylize our name as such. Goodfellas (1990) The Shining (1980) Sunday (1994).
I really love your sound. What records influenced you? You manage to elegantly tread that fine line between echoing elements of 80s and 90s independent and pop music, whilst sounding like yourselves and of the now, is that a hard balance to strike do you think?
Thank you! It’s not a conscious decision. We simply strum and hum until we stumble upon something we like. Musically everything from Dionne Warwick to The Go-Betweens, visually everything from Ken Loach to Sofia Coppola.
Your juxtaposition between at times really brutally honest lyrics and really melodic and bittersweet harmonies is intoxicating. Was it intentional to be honest lyrically?
Again, thank you that’s very kind. Everything we write is something very true to us. So yes, the honesty is intentional. I don’t see any appeal in singing about something we don’t mean.
Is ‘Tired Boy’ about anyone in particular or more of a character study? Or a combination.
Both.
As a lapsed Catholic ‘Stained Glass Window’ has resonance; the idea of loving in sin seems to be a recurring theme with those exposed to religion.
We’re going to hell in every religion. So we may as well sing about it.
Can you tell us about your deluxe EP?
It started out as a 6 track EP which graduated to a 9 track. It was our cheeky way of getting an album out without actually doing it. We’re currently working on the follow up. I could talk about it for hours, but it’s only 40 mins total so probably best to just go and listen to it.
Your videos are excellent visual representations of the songs, who do you work with on these?
Thanks, it’s just me and Paige doing all the visuals. Well, everything really. From the writing to the production, the mixing, mastering, artwork, videos etc. It’s just us two. We make sure to only use film. Tangible medium is one of our rules!
I read you have taken off on TikTok do you think it can be a good platform for promotion?
I think it’s a wonderful place to waste your life.
What’s on your playlist?
Paige has decided that it’s time to listen to Christmas music and I am not particularly happy about it!
What’s in your fridge?
A lot of condiments, a half drunk bottle of orange wine, last night’s pasta and no animal products.
What’s your favourite item of clothing you own?
Probably my brand new Sunday (1994) hoodie that is available worldwide from our merch store now! That or one of my blazers. I have a lot. Paige is a better person to ask about that.
Who would be your dream collaboration with?
Paige.
Do you have any tour dates coming up ?
We just got back from the UK from our sold out show in London, we’re off to NYC in December and then we’re going on a run of dates with Girl In Red. Then next year we have a LOT of dates booked all over the world which we will share at the start of next year! Thank you!
