SOFT STORM is the Taiwanese band’s most cohesive and directionally profound album yet. The dreaminess they’ve crafted now comes along with a rich, immersive narrative.
(Updated on 21st May | Added excerpts from interview with the band)
For most of Sunset Rollercoaster’s discography, nostalgia is the name of the game. It’s easy to pan them out as catering to the needs of people who long for the golden years, but they never do it with the intention of pandering. On the other hand, their visits to the past are sincere tributes to the timelessness of genres like smooth jazz, adult contemporary, funk, R&B – the list goes on. For example, Their 2011 debut, BOSSA NOVA, is an eclectic love letter to the history of Western popular music – traversing the realms of folk, blues, indie rock, and even punk (like in their self-explanatory song, Punk) .
As diverse as they are; deep within every song, their synthy, funky and jazzier sides always shine through. It’s the silky, understated tones of I Know You Know I Love You that tethers itself to your memory more than their other tracks. In a way, the band probably thought so too, as this sound is explored with more depth in their next release, CASSA NOVA, which narrows the scope of their influences without ever sounding two-dimensional; corralling the nuances of citypop, 80s synth-pop, funk and even some Italo Disco (like in Cool of Lullaby). The saxophones now are unabashedly loud in their sensuality. The synth-lines keep the rhythm going, oscillating between the vast spacey expanse or the intimately sexy & atmospheric; every composition a tiny portal to yesterday.
So where does a band that rides the coattails of classics go from there? The riveting answer is their 2020 release, SOFT STORM. Here, Sunset Rollercoaster ceases to stand upon the shoulder of the giants they admire and start their own chapter of nostalgic creativity. Infused with East Asian pentatonic scales and a quirky knack for “outsider electronic soul” (as stated on their Bandcamp) SOFT STORM goes further than previous efforts most importantly because it is anchored by a clear, visual metaphor.
The clarity of SOFT STORM has not waned since its release in October 2020. According to an email interview, “As of this date, the meaning of this album remains unchanged to us, we have been genuinely reflecting on our past selves from a year ago, our situation and circumstances in life. However as time goes on, it is possible that the meaning may change and evolve”.
At its stormy heart is still a groovy pop record with moments of insatiable catchiness
The scenery for the music is Taipei: encompassing unspecified locations and navigating through the little stories of romance at different stages. The setting captures the complicated tumult of love through the analogy of typhoons – where the band hearkens back to the melancholia of storm blackouts and huddling together with your loved one for safety and comfort during fearful times. “As the world is currently going through dramatic, rapid changes, looking into one’s self and reflecting on it is an easy means to finding peace and obtaining serenity, while writing songs and creating music feels like the conclusion and recording of that journey of self-exploration”.
The band’s focus on this message is not just reflected upon their lyrics, but the instrumental layers that build upon each other – from the slow burn of the eponymous first track, to the soft guitars of Overlove, guided by the influence of one of soft rock’s greats, Ned Doheny.
“Ned is the pioneer of the City Pop form of music, who strongly believes in the combination of lyrics and melody blending together. While working with him, he expressed strong concern towards the message that the song presents to the listeners, in addition to the smooth and necessary connection the strings and melody arrangement is trying to convey with the lyrics of said song”.
It speaks to their power of worldbuilding (a word rarely used for an album of this ilk), that even without paying attention to the lyrics, the music itself paints a weathered, familiar picture – like the guitar voicings of Midnight with Paul that is reminiscent of rain drops, in instrumentation and in ambience.
Yet SOFT STORM isn’t a heavy-handed artistic statement. It’s not unnecessarily inaccessible. At its stormy heart , is still a groovy pop record with moments of insatiable catchiness. The gloomier aura of songs like Candlelight, featuring OH HYUK’s of Korean indie band HYUKOH, might be a visualisation of loneliness with sinister synths, but its backbone is still a sticky sense of funky pop sensibility. OH HYUK’s voice brings a blanket of warmth to Tseng Kuo-Hung’s more matter-of-fact delivery.
“During the time that the Candlelight demo was finished in Tokyo, OH HYUK was also touring there at the same time. When he happened to listen to the song, he expressed much interest in it, resulting in the opportunity to collaborate”. As an exchange the band also collaborated with HYUKOH on the song, Help.
One of the most standout moments in the album is the track Teahouse, where Sunset Rollercoaster still shows a sleek ability to insert something twee in an otherwise adult contemporary record. Like the title suggests, it’s a quaint little shop in the middle of a drenched city, in song form. But even when things need to pick up a little, you can find that in songs like Hyperfocus, where a greater sense of urgency alternates with bossanova passages.
“A clash between the will and the strength, all for the sole purpose of seeing the sunrise”
None of this urban, atmospheric milieu would make sense without the obviously more distinct conviction in the vocal mixes, on top of every other instrument given their own little spotlight across the track list. The bass and keys harmonizing in Under the Skin, the sensual wah-wah guitars of Hyperfocus – all still ringing in my ear.
SOFT STORM sees the band at the pinnacle of their gusto (so far), daring to find new grounds within a vast pop and adult contemporary landscape, which is often derided as cheesy and trite. This album proves that the tried and true can still feel new in the right hands, with the right conceptual conviction.
“The idea of making music never presented itself as a simple task to us. Not only does it prove to be a challenge, but it is also a journey filled with levels to it. It is a clash between the will and the strength, all for the sole purpose of seeing the sunrise, seeing it pierce and shine through the clouds from the peak of the mountain”.
As for Sunset Rollercoaster’s own horizon, their future is filled with interesting possibilities if their playlist rotation is any indication:
“Recently, we’ve been listening to a lot of ambient music, along with movie soundtracks, we are attempting to understand and appreciate the art and the unspeakable, indescribable emotions coming from the deepest parts of the subconscious mind that this type of abstract music or sound brings to us. Recommendations：Gaussian Curve, Vangelis, Ennio Morricone”
“This year, we have taken steps to try out composing soundtracks, as well as various Chinese cover songs”. Recently, the band has taken to cover a Chinese song called “I’m A Fish!” by Richie Jen. “This is a song that has accompanied us throughout our childhood years. To us, it represents a sweet memory from those years. Having the opportunity to cover and adapt this song makes us feel young once more.”
“Besides that, we will also attempt to write some new songs, but we have yet to confirm if we will be releasing them as singles or as an EP”.
True to their own name, Sunset Rollercoaster has taken their fans on a wild, emotional ride – all while showing evolution in their craft and maturity in their message. Going through their discography and reaching the end of the ride (so far) in SOFT STORM feels like a complete trip down a meandering, memory lane. When asked to describe their evolution since their album debut, BOSSA NOVA, the band summed it up nicely: “A process of gradually accumulating experience in life from the passing of time and growing of age”.