Sonny and the Sunsets: Hairdressers from Heaven Review

Sonny and the Sunsets is led by their fearless creative Sonny Smith. Growing up in Soho, New York two decades ago, he was deeply influenced by the record store and even named Rocks In Your Head his new label after his beloved shop. With the new label Smith is going old-school and releasing a Zine with every release, like the days of SST and Raymond Pettibon.  His album being the first on the imprint, Hairdressers from Heaven will launch Zine #1, it is about watching the apocalypse on the phone, and how Nazis should always be tossed out of town and things of that nature. Read our review for Rod For Your Love, which was recorded by Smith and his band in peak form at the end of a cross-country tour. (Click HERE to Read Review).

About the Album

Hairdressers from Heaven is purposefully a mixtape. Smith explains: “different sounds, different musicians on here, recorded different places. Things got loose. Piano driven at times, drum machines, strange harmonies, it was made by instinct, very unconsciously, loose.”  Smiths ideal is to bring focus to the happenings, to be woke.  As he calls it “throwing nails at the tank tires.”  The tanks being a foul stench called death, brought by corporate bulldozers.

Our Favorite Track

Our favorite track is “Ghost Days.” With a rad bassline the develops into an eclectic rock track that is musical and creative.  Sonny says this about the tune, “it was made by instinct, very unconsciously, loose. I don’t know how Kelley came up with a circular Kraut-like bass line for ‘Ghost Days’ but he did.” That sense of adventure comes through in the song, that special energy when musicians are just going for it made “Ghost Days” ooze a special vibe. The female background vocals and cool guitar figures are nice touches. Sonny’s vocals are relaxed, but still maintain energy and match the energy of the lyrics and music perfectly. Nothing to serious, but Sonny hits the mark for making fun music that is pleasurable to listen to and enjoy.

In Conclusion

With Hairdressers From Heaven, Sonny and the Sunsets present a collection of rock tunes that have variety and style. Each track is a musical adventure with both varied instrumentation and musicians. The glue that holds it all together is Sonny with his vocals and personality, always on mark and full of the unusual bits. The is music for the sake of expression, with a clear rock focus. Smith keeps it creative,  loose and lets the music lead the song, which seems to be a winning strategy.