slumberland records

keeping it foolish since 1989

NOTE: We will be on holiday from November 23rd-Dec 1st; mail order resumes on Dec 2nd.

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Sheffield's The Suncharms formed in 1989, inspired by the flourishing indiepop scene, but also by the sonic experimentation welling-up around them that would soon come to be known as shoegaze. Following initial garage rehearsals the band soon found themselves supporting indiepop legends such as The Brilliant Corners, St Christopher, The Orchids and The Television Personalities. By 1990 the first Suncharms demo tape had secured support slots with emerging Shoegaze bands such as Cranes, Catherine Wheel and Curve which brought the attention of Wilde Club records and by June 1991 the first EP was released to favorable reviews, reaching a fairly respectable No.23 in the UK indie charts.

In November 1991 the excellent second EP "Tranquil Day" was released, which led to a Peel session in April 1992. The Slumberland Records crew LOVED those two EPs -- they had all the guitar overload we craved, but wrapped around some unusually crafty pop tunes. Less ethereal or abstract than a lot of shoegaze, accurate reference points might include early Ride or The Boo Radleys. We first approached the band about the possibility of releasing something way back in 1992, but sadly the familiar scenario of band members lives going in different directions began to hamper progress so a release never materialized. In April 1993 The Suncharms played the last gig of their initial phase.

Over the intervening years The Suncharms name was kept alive by a small group of indie enthusiasts, websites, online radio stations and bloggers. In 2014 Richard met Roque Ruiz of Cloudberry Records at the Indietracks festival and his enthusiasm about The Suncharms was evident. Plans were soon made to release a retrospective compilation of the two EPs plus assorted demos and previously unreleased songs -- the resulting CD was released to a warm reception in March 2016.

As a result of all this renewed activity the band received increased exposure through BBC Radio 6 Music and decided to get back into a rehearsal space to see if they could still play the old songs. It soon became apparent that it was equally enjoyable to start working on brand new material. In February 2017 The Suncharms played their first gig since 1993 opening for The Orchids and The Chesterfields - a nice closing of the circle given that they'd first played with The Orchids way back in 1989.

Over the past year the band have been busy working on new songs and the first fruits of their practices and recording sessions are the two songs which Slumberland Records are releasing - after all this time!