EP REVIEW: Sun Spot – Wireframe/Figure 08

completely obliterating their own limits to construct a wildly experimental collection of tracks that rounds out with what is already guaranteed to be one of the finest songs of 2024

In the four years since their debut release, Bristol based synth pop band Sun Spot have established quite the discography. Their debut EP, ‘Clipping’, is a gorgeous, often lo-fi affair that drew as much from bedroom pop as it did indie. The follow-up, ‘Working Memory’, saw the band push their boundaries further, bringing far more experimental and industrial sounds to their palette.

Now the band return with their latest effort, the three-track EP ‘Wireframe/Figure 08’. This release isn’t just Sun Spot expanding their horizons, but more so completely obliterating their own limits to construct a wildly experimental collection of tracks that rounds out with what is already guaranteed to be one of the finest songs of 2024.

‘Wireframe’ picks up roughly where ‘Working Memory’ left off, with dense walls of crushing, glitching noises crashing down over the listener, carrying with them vague approximations of hooks and melody that ensnare you with their captivating and amorphous nature. However, the slick trip-hop beats woven into the monolithic soundscapes, and the sheer weight of the fuzzy electronics, pushes the band into uncharted territory that eludes being comfortably assigned any single genre.

‘/‘ serves as a luscious interlude of sorts, with vocalist Will Palmer’s voice distorted beyond all recognition, layered against a backdrop of gently pulsing synth ambience. It’s a transitional point if the record, yes, but Sun Spot have made certain to ensure that it remains filled with purpose and presence; a musical liminal space between the vague melodies of ‘Wireframe’, and the industrial EDM panic attack that is ‘Figure 08’.

Certainly, Sun Spot have always demonstrated keen talent and creativity through their music, but what unfolds across ‘Figure 08’ is not only markedly unexpected from the band, but quite simply elevates them into a whole new musical league. Looping acoustics and hushed vocals explode into cataclysmic dance breakdowns, as sparkling yet abrasive synth melodies collide with thumping bass and percussion, settling somewhere between the best rave of your life and the apocalypse. Palmer is vocally ferocious through these moments, grappling with overwhelming existential dread with wild screamed vocals that only add to this technological inferno. It is a brilliant, brilliant track that is an absolute must listen for anyone who considers themselves a fan of ‘good music’.

Whatever preconceived notions you had about Sun Spot are no longer applicable. No matter how well you believed you knew this band and what they were capable of, ‘Wireframe/Figure 08’ does away with that in spectacular fashion. When a band pushes forwards into the uncharted abyss of their own creative potential, wonderful things happens; this EP is no exception.

RATING: 85/100 – Very Good

For Fans Of: Modern Error, Clipping, 100 Gecs, Swans, New Order

Physical copies are available for purchase here.

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