With Blue Monday safely out of the way for another year, Venice’s Ren Ashfield and the Magicians have brought the sound of summer in their latest single, Sunny Day Smile.
After an intro which allows you to imagine what Echo and the Bunnymen would have sounded like if they embraced warm tonal hues instead of coldly monochromatic textures, Sunny Day Smile strides into a classic rock crescendo, which does far more than pay homage to the past.
By bringing all of the stridence of the Manic Street Preachers with the endlessly affecting soul of Journey and wrapping the production in a kaleidoscopic haze of psychedelia, Ren Ashfield and his outfit of instrumental alchemists delivered the ultimate hit of aural serotonin with this luminous leap into the evolution of rock. The band’s moniker is so much more than a shtick; there’s nothing gimmicky about the evocation of alt-rock sorcery within Sunny Day Smile.
This single, which resounds with a message of hope and resilience despite the world’s weary weight, is just a prelude to the band’s much-anticipated sophomore LP, Sonic Creations, which is set to be unveiled in February.
Sunny Day Smile will illuminate the airwaves on January 26th. Stream the single on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast