Sunday State has revealed their latest single, “Juniper,” part of a series of new material and covers that the Portland, Oregon quintet have been rolling out this year. The recording of the song came about when vocalist/guitarist Kurt Foster met up in their hometown or Portland with guitarist Michael Carothers, both having left their new homes in Hawaii and Germany to get the rest of band together. It was recorded at Sleepers Mountain with Colin Hegna (Brian Jonestown Massacre/Federale) and Jeff Saltzman (Sunset Valley/Blitzen Trapper/Deer Tick).
Foster’s lyrics were inspired by “the wins and losses of living in a foreign country and meeting a wonderful local” while Carothers had written the music for “Juniper” a decade ago, recorded it to cassette, and kept it stashed away.
Michael Carothers continues about recording the track:
Jeff had been mixing the new solo record from Herman Jolly (Sunset Valley) that I had recorded to 4-track before I moved to Maui and, as expected, Jeff takes what is great and makes it greater. Colin has a studio next door to Sleepers Mountain, where I worked solo during the dog days of COVID lockdown reorganizing the museum’s worth of vintage gear that resides there. He’s someone I greatly respect as a songwriter/producer and always wanted to work with. I knew he’d have a great 60’s pop perspective on our next batch of songs. Juniper is a testament to that.
Sunday State features Michael Carothers (Paper Cameras/Spectator Pump), Kurt Foster (Mission Spotlight/Worthington), Thom Sullivan (Pynnacles/Paper Cameras), Jeremy Dietz (Mission Spotlight) and Steve Turner (Mudhoney/Green River). What started with jamming and demos on some of the 150+ instrumentals Carothers had been stockpiling in 2019, turned into their Mono EP that year, and debut, eponymous full-length in 2021.
