It’s presently rainy and grey where I am, but Sun Cut Flat’s “Happiness Is A Wandering” transported me to a tropical land that looks serene and green even in the midst of a thunderstorm. On this track, the Boston-based project incorporates ocean-side fantasy-land soundscapes reminiscent of Air France and Gorillaz’ Plastic Beach, with unique touches ranging from soulful vocal samples to brass inclusions and Afro-pop wanderings. It all presents a fantastic stylistic hybrid, where lush synth-pop collides with the naturalism of Afro-pop and tropical funk to tout this landscape-shifting ability. “Happiness is a wandering,” is a line frequently repeated, aligning with the feel-good and stay-loose vibes of reggae, an influence that isn’t prominent but remains there in spirit.
What Sun Cut Flat accomplish with “Happiness Is A Wandering” is a demonstration of extraordinary stylistic chops that merge accessible genres with some more challenging ones. Through it all is a cohesive gem that showcases this as a project with tons of promise. Further flexing their stylistic versatility, “From the Sun (You and I)” is just as breezily enjoyable, but this time stressing an ethereal guitar-led quality that’s quite different from “Happiness Is A Wandering”. This track has the ability to lift one’s spirits after a bad day, while “Happiness Is A Wandering” can transport listeners to another world entirely. Both of these efforts are antidotes in their own sense, and excellent tracks to kick your weekend off with. With such an accessible yet idiosyncratic sound, Sun Cut Flat have huge potential to become big in 2014.
