You get the impression when you speak with Scott Hepple that there’s not enough time in the day. In fact, you could make the claim that not only does Scott Hepple give-off the impression that there’s not enough time in the day – but it’s the central theme in his unique blend of psychedelica.
“Yeah it’s pretty full on at the minute” laughs Hepple when we catch up “in fact the reason I missed your call yesterday was because I was rushing between various things to do and I was in the process of buying a van for the upcoming tour”.
Having just announced the release of their debut album (‘Ashes to Wildflowers’) and an accompanying UK/European tour, as well as self-managing and promoting themselves (and self-funding Auto-Trader) Scott Hepple and the Sun Band aren’t ready to stop just yet (“perhaps I shouldn’t say too much but the album was finished earlier this year and we’re already in the process of finishing off the second album at the minute”)… but one thing at a time.
Filled with delicious love-in movements of Psychedelic Rock, Ashes to Wildflowers is a sensational debut album. Welding together sonic textures from Neil Young, Black Sabbath, Spiritualized and Love, Ashes blasts into space with jangling guitar riffs, effect peddles, and sound musicianship. Whilst January’s initial release, “Letting Go”, may have caught the interests of music fans, it was April’s single ‘Nobody else’ that really captures the ear-worm hypnotism of the album and it’s ability to mix pop melodies with sonic hyperdrives.
Recorded in analogue with Maximo Park’s Duncan Lloyd, and mastered by the renowned Chicago-based engineer Carl Saff (Sonic Youth, Ty Segall, J Mascis), ‘Ashes’ has the sound, and the production, of a band with serious intent.
“We really wanted to put something together that was built in analogue and captured the sound of the band when we’re playing” confirms Hepple in a nod, surely, to the ethos of the likes of Jack White and Tame Impala; “it’s a dream come true to make an album with the people we made it with and now to be touring it. It’s all surreal” Playing warm up to the likes of Love (“absolutely surreal, we couldn’t believe they wanted us to open for them”), and a performance at London’s Third Man Records (“again, surreal, we’re all huge fans of Jack and his music”) the next step is an Autumn/Winter headline UK and European album tour (“hence the need for the van”) as the band look to build on the interest that comes from their momentum.
“We can’t wait to get out and play and tour and even though we’re itching to play the new songs we’re also keen to do things the right way- to take time to learn about booking and managing tours, and then to build that up and up and up. We want to release an album every year so this tour hopefully will be the start of us taking the right steps and building contacts – and then on the next tour hopefully it’s much easier and then easier on the tour after that and on and on.”
And just when you think there can’t be anything else in the works, there’s a breath before… “we’re also working on the album launch at the Cluny and some limited edition vinyl that’ll be sold in indie shops up and down the country and then recording new music…”.
Humble, ambitious, talented.. and now with a van… Scott Hepple and the Sun Band are your new favourite band. Label Self Released Format LP/Digital Release date September 22, 2023