We’re thrilled to premiere “So Bad To Me”, the just-released track from Sunshine Brothers Inc., a very promising new act that met at and attend the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. The quartet of Jake Weissman, John DiSabito, Charles Vadala, and Niall McCarthy take pride in the Western Massachusetts DIY scene, their fondness for hook-y melodies, surf-y guitars, and bright synths/keys drawing praise in the area. Weissman’s songwriting takes a cue from psych-pop as well as rousing indie-rock, with the key work and thunderous rhythms on “So Bad To Me” reminding me fondly of Wolf Parade. The track is the second single off of their follow-up EP. In July the song was awarded “Best Original Song” in the Pioneer Valley at the Valley Music Showcase, which highlights select bands from Vermont to Connecticut.
“The song is longer for a pop track, but I didn’t really feel that any parts were dispensable,” Jake explains. “I wrote the music first and quickly multi-tracked a demo of the song myself last Spring to show the band. It’s inspired by a lot of different music; the drums sort of chug along like a Beach Boys or Rolling Stones track, that main guitar riff is reminiscent of Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s “II”, the chords throughout sort of have those sad but uplifting feelings you might hear in a track by The Cure or Bane’s World. Sometimes when I hear it I feel like parts of it sound like psychedelic Springsteen.”
“The lyrics are personal, telling a careless love-story, highlighting the push and pull of affection for someone that seems to come and go on a whim. To be frank, it’s about a girl I don’t really speak to anymore, and the bit of time we spent together. The chorus “don’t be so bad to me” is meant to be sort of playful, rather than a plea to someone hurting you in some way.”
“The track was officially recorded at Big Nice Studios in Rhode Island, with a bunch of other songs over a couple of days. We did them all as a live band. I did some synth overdubs after, which were meant to sound sort of like electric, psychedelic steel drums. It was mixed by myself and Brad Krieger of Big Nice Studios.”
“So Bad To Me” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of September 2018’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Indie Rock 2018.
It also earned a spot in our highly selective ‘Best Tracks of 2018’ Spotify playlist.
