Alt-rock band A Sunday Fire is breaking down personal and societal barriers with their fearless mindset and audacious musicality. The quartet has a bold demeanor that generates anticipation across their broad audience. A Sunday Fire is throwing themselves deep into experimentation with their recent string of releases, leaving fans on their toes about what is to come next.
Their recent singles “Knivesbehindbacksforever” and “The Crowned Owl” have introduced the band’s efforts to color outside genre lines. Not confining themselves to one niche, A Sunday Fire continuously experiments with a range of sonic elements to create their multidimensional sound. A Sunday Fire's new music represents a rebirth of their overall artistry, planting their feet in consistent growth and developing their distinct sonic bubble in which they exist.
A Sunday Fire was born out of the sheer desire to uncover more out of life. Their unique, alt-fused, high-energy sound comes with a wave of emotional output. The band explores sounds that are sonically uncommon, pairing their experimentation with personal expansion. A Sunday Fire endlessly searches for new ways to feel, new ways to mourn, and new ways to seek out a life that is resting right in front of them - if they just open their eyes.
The recent strides that A Sunday Fire has taken to define their sound and explore their creative potential have all led up to the release of their forthcoming EP “Death:Rebirth” dropping on May 20th. The title of this EP could not be more representative of what can be expected from this experimental collection of music which marks the band's entrance into a new era of their artistry. They went about the creative process to this album with a unrestrained approach, not conforming to the expectations placed upon them by themselves and their surroundings but rather focusing on making the most authentic art possible. The upcoming EP is a testament to their sonic exploration, and finds the band toying with an ethereal collection of songs that give a constant thump.
We recently had the privilege of sitting down in an interview with the four where we talked about their newest music and the band’s intentions behind their writing.
What are you most excited for people to hear on “Knivesbehindbacksforever?”
“The message that the song presents. That in order to grow into a better version of you, you have to leave behind the parts of your life that were holding you back.”
Was there a specific moment or experience that prompted you guys to write “Knivesbehindbacksforever?”
“We initially wrote ‘knives’ around 6 years ago. It was much different than it is now, but even back then we knew there was something special to this song. When Jesse joined the band we ran through all these old ideas to see if there was anything we could maybe use again. ‘Knives’ instantly sparked during a jam session and came together in about 20 minutes.”
Do you work collaboratively on all aspects of the creative process to writing, producing, and releasing a song? Or are those jobs usually distributed amongst the members individually?
“Our writing style is fun because literally anyone can come to the table with an idea. Sometimes it’s Joey with a whole composition ready to go, sometimes it’s Chris with an electronic beat or synth, and sometimes it’s Jesse with a single riff. Ideas come from everywhere and we just go with it. We don’t want to be any one specific genre, so our writing style really helps us continue to explore everything.”
Do you have any stories from inside the studio during the time you were writing “Knivesbehindbacksforever” that you would like to share?
“The recording process to this was so easy and fun. We knew what we wanted and our two producers we worked with, Alex Gibson and Vincent Freeman, knew exactly how to get the most out of us. After two years of no studio time, it was just refreshing to be back and creating.”
Can you explain a little bit about your journey as a band?
“ASF started off as this very shitty metalcore-ish band. We didn’t know what we wanted to play, but we knew we wanted to play. After about a year of doing metal we took a hard turn to the punk world with our initial EP, ‘Mobtown Punk’.”
“Even with the switch we wanted to do more musically and really switched to writing whatever we wanted to. We didn’t want to be held to one genre. After our full length, An Open Letter, we really hard shifted into exploring all these other sonic avenues. ‘XOXO’ was an adventure into a more radio rock feel and then ‘Hell Song’ was an exploration into emo and some hip-hop. We became obsessed with just doing our own thing after that. It’s been musically liberating and we are very excited that each song will truly be its own thing. We still don’t know who or what we are, but we are much more comfortable in allowing ourselves to find out through wherever our musical journey takes us.”
"We still don’t know who or what we are, but we are much more comfortable in allowing ourselves to find out through wherever our musical journey takes us.”
Do you have a specific target audience that you hope to reach through your music?
“People who have passion but feel like they don’t have a place in this world. We want to get those people together and show them that through passion and music and self exploration you can accomplish so much. That’s who we want. People who have a lust for life but don’t know where to go.”
What do you hope to accomplish through your music? What sort of community do you intend to create with your art?
“ASF has long had a strong community. It’s full of love and support. Ultimately, if people can come together through our music and find support to help them at the lowest of times, that would be the dream. A community of support for one another.”
I think that it is really amazing how you guys never shy away from talking about difficult and sometimes controversial topics in your songwriting. Do you ever find it scary or challenging to be so open in your music?
"These are our stories to tell. Joey tells us a story through his bass, Jesse opens his emotions through his guitar, Chris opens his soul through his words, and Sam gives you his energy through his drums. It’s just who we are. We can’t create honest art if we aren’t honest with ourselves. So, if we want to write anti-Trump songs or songs about suicide, we are going to do it. We would be more scared to not attack these things because it means we aren’t being honest with ourselves or our music.”
If you could work with any band or artist, who would it be?
“There’s really too many to name or count. However, we feel we could learn so much in working with Nine Inch Nails. They are so good at creating worlds and atmospheres through their music. We want to get better at that.”
Your sound as a band goes far beyond the limits of the modern day music genres. I’d love to know the different musical influences that you’ve all brought into the group which have contributed to your unique sound?
“We are all over the place. Just 30 minutes ago we were chilling on the couch listening to King Von. On tour we go from Limp Bizkit to Glassjaw to Garth Brooks to Bring Me the Horizon to Rae Sremmurd and everywhere else in-between. The great thing about music is that there is nothing stopping you from taking influences from anywhere and seeing how you can interpret in your own style. If we want to be influenced by Joy Division on the bass line and by Coldplay on the guitar line and by Avenged Sevenfold on the drums and by Incubus on the vocals, we can.”
Where do you envision A Sunday Fire heading in the next few years?
“We want to release a lot more music and make a lot more music videos. We love horror and occult and if you check out our few videos, you can see it. Taking dark imagery and turning it into a story that you can relate to on a raw visceral level is something we are passionate about. Aside from that, we already have tours and festivals lined up. You’re going to be seeing us a lot more in your life for a long time. Thank you for joining the ride.”
"Taking dark imagery and turning it into a story that you can relate to on a raw visceral level is something we are passionate about."
Be sure to follow the band on Instagram and Twitter to stay updated on the latest announcements from A Sunday Fire.
Pre-save their upcoming EP by clicking on THIS LINK and scroll down to listen to their recent single "Knivesbehindbacksforever" now available for streaming on all platforms.