photo by Eva Wheeler-Stout; photo courtesy of Cameron Carpenter

Single Review of The Sun Harmonic: “Glory Days”

The Sun Harmonic are Kaleb Hikele (vocals, guitar), Dave (Skitch) Patterson (drums) and Ian McLennan (bass), joined on “Glory Days” by Zack Buck and Al Grantham singing backup vocals. The band was founded in 2009, and six albums preceded the release of “Glory Days,” a song included on The Sun Harmonic’s seventh LP, simply entitled The Sun Harmonic.

image courtesy of Cameron Carpenter

“Glory Days” combines shades of Jimmy Eat World and Good Charlotte with the full-on cheekines of bands like Barenaked Ladies. Weirdly, the beginnings of the verses sound like they could be sung to the tune of “The Christmas Song,” with “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” being replaced by lyrics like “Did you catch yourself squeezing the water from a stone?” or “If we both have nothing, then we have nothing to lose.” Check it out – do you hear it, too? Or am I just losing my mind? Either way, it’s a fun cadence with which to kick off each verse.

photo by Eva Wheeler-Stout; photo courtesy of Cameron Carpenter

The song itself relentlessly pushes forward with just enough breaks in the breakneck tempo to give it a catchy, pleasant, enjoyable style. I mean, the tempo – it’s almost like a march, an enthusiastic, tuneful march. The instrumental flailing at the end of the song is almost symphonic, too.

In the end, though, it works. It comes together under the guise of rock ‘n roll as a song that demands your attention, shows you a good time, and eventually becomes a favorite musical companion. I haven’t checked out the band’s subsequent self-titled full-length album – the one containing “Glory Days” – yet, but if this song is any indication, I look forward to giving it a spin.