Sunshine Satellite is a duo from Denver that consists of Sarah Heller (guitar, bass, and vocals) and Thomas Chagolla (drums). Though the pair doesn’t stick around for a long time on this self-titled EP, it sure is a memorable four tracks of energetic rock ‘n’ roll that’s somewhere between punk, garage, and indie without easily falling into any classification.
The quick listen opens with a two-minute blast of buzzing garage rock as Heller’s well-sung and very pretty vocals contrast nicely with the thumping, borderline furious, drumming from Chagolla in an overall punk-spirited climate.
“Date Night” follows and brings a gritty yet very tuneful display of modern indie rock meets nostalgic garage rock as the pair works together in a way that will have your head bobbin’ and your toe tappin’.
The last two tunes are just as fantastic. “Nothing Good Happens After 8pm” gets more abrasive – nearly approaching post-hardcore – while still featuring sing-alongs amid the anthemic quality, while “Fire Pretty” pairs raw moments of punk rock alongside melodies that are easy to enjoy and tough to forget.
Heller’s got a very versatile set of pipes where she’ll sing with much beauty, while also sneering, yelping, or barking with plenty of attitude, while Chagolla pulls off some acrobatic drumming from beginning to end.
A charming listen that comes on a lime green cassette physically (and with a download code and colorful sleeve), this comes in at under ten minutes, but thankfully the same program occupies both sides because it’s very likely you’ll want to hear it again.
Often reminding us of ’90s greats like Bratmobile, Samuel and Dahlia Seed, or even something released towards the end of the Lookout Records legacy, if Sunshine Satellite were to release an album in 2021 (pretty please?), I would expect it to be one of the year’s best.
