Sunnbrella Fever Dream (2023)
The word parasol comes from the Latin “para,” to shield or protect, and “sol,” which means “sun.” The earliest known origins of the essential summertime devices protecting you from either sun or rain are depicted in art of the Ancient Egyptians from around 2,450 BCE. Back then umbrellas were made of feathers or palm fronds and served as a sign of distinction, reserved for those with royal status.
Fast forward 4,000+ years and London-based Czech musician David Zbirka has reinterpreted the name for his band. “I was at a festival in Prague with my Czech friends and I couldn’t remember what the English word for ‘parasol’ was, so I asked one of my friends in Czech and he replied, ‘I don’t know, sunbrella?’” Zbirka took a shine to this, then added the second N when he found out that—of course—there already was a parasol company called Sunbrella.
Zbirka makes guitar and “beat-driven melancholy” music laden with reverb and nostalgia-inducing vocals. Drawing influence from 1990s shoegaze powerhouses My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and big beat stars The Chemical Brothers as well as Moby’s early work, the sound is optimistic, warm and fuzzy. Starting out in Zbirka’s bedroom, the project has grown into a live band, which he scales up and down depending on the show.
Being young and prolific, Sunnbrella boasts an impressive catalog of singles accompanied by lyrics on Bandcamp. The album Heartworn is the most accomplished project to date and the lead single “Fever Dream” a song with an instantly classic sound; a deeply MBV-inspired guitar riff and shimmering production that should transport anyone who lived through the 1990s back to laying on the carpet, watching MTV late at night with the lights down low. Jaded naysayers may think this sounds a little bit too like MBV, but Zbirka wears his influences on his sleeve. Play this album back and tell me if you don’t love it.
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