Today, the Hudson Valley, NY based indie rock-folk band Setting Sun announce their self-produced sixth full-length studio album and first in ten years, The Feelings Cure due out May 19 via Young Love Records and available for pre-order now. Alongside the announcement, the band share brand new single "Feelings Cure" out everywhere now, along with an accompanying lyric video. Plus, join Setting Sun live in Woodstock, NY for their official album release show on May 18. Tickets are on sale now via settingsuntheband.com.
Setting Sun, led by frontman and primary songwriter Gary Levitt, began in San Francisco where the band's first release, holed up, was recorded in 2003. From there, Levitt moved to Los Angeles, then to Brooklyn, NY and now resides in the Hudson Valley of New York. After holed up came Math And Magic the following year and caught the attention of Pittsburgh City Paper who wrote "Isolation" from the album, "brought together the dramatic delivery with a set of lyrics spilling out with a poetic skill rarely heard in any style of music." Four years later, Children of the Wild arrived, and PopMatters wrote the band's third album is characterized by "delicate, hushed vocals and well-crafted pop songs." In 2010, Setting Sun released Fantasurreal, and three years later came Be Here When You Get Here in 2013.
Today, with the newest, most comprehensive body of work yet on the horizon, Setting Sun is ready to re-introduce themselves. In the band's current iteration, alongside Levitt are long-time collaborators Lawrence Roper (keyboards, vocals) and Jonathan Hambright (drums) and John Burdick (bass/vocals).
The forthcoming sixth studio album by Setting Sun, The Feelings Cure, was recorded like no other Setting Sun record––diligently. Explaining the creative process and creating the album while now being a father, Levitt says, "I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get in the creative zone with set times of having to turn creativity on and off like a switch. I used to write and record in creative blasts when I felt it come on like a wave or virus. Having kids forced me to write, record, and mix in the gaps of being a father and the maturity shows on this record."
Over ten rich tracks, Levitt turns inward to blend genres and juxtapose upbeat instrumentals and production with melancholic lyrics. Unafraid to take risks and allowing himself to create without reserve, the album chronicles Levitt further discovering himself and his artistry, culminating in the band's most realized work to date.
While producing the album, Levitt learned to listen to himself and how he was feeling to best use his time and play to his strengths. "I produced this record myself in my studio and enlisted friends to lay down some tracks like drums, harmonies, violins, etc. One trick I learned is to be aware of my mood. If I wasn’t feeling a creative wave, I’d then do some mixing. If I was in the creative zone, I’d sit and write and record a part to one of the songs." The creative process became casual, free-flowing and unforced. Levitt says, "Most of the sounds you hear on this record were written and recorded simultaneously, so you’re getting the raw thing, not a reenactment of the moment it was written, this is the moment."
"Feelings Cure," out today, aims to resist feelings of pain and sadness through music. Levitt says the track is about "denial and playing music and finding a cure for sadness or pain." Written three months into the start of the pandemic, Levitt was forced to confront the reality of diving back into music, only this time, in quarantine with his wife and toddler which presented brand new challenges. Levitt adds, "It took a while to be able to turn on the creativity at will according to the clock, but I found it was actually possible. The limitations made me more productive. This song was one of the first I recorded for the new record and maybe it helped get out some of that frustration from being forced into a new life and future not made by my choice."
Watch "Feelings Cure" (Official Lyric Video)
Setting Sun will celebrate the release of their first album in ten years album with a show at Colony in Woodstock, NY on May 18. The following month, on June 15, the band will perform at Riverside Concerts in Germantown, NY. Tickets are available now via settingsuntheband.com.
"Feelings Cure," out everywhere now, fights feelings of pain and sadness with music. The Feelings Cure, the forthcoming sixth studio album by Setting Sun is due out May 19 available to pre-order now via Young Love Records. Join the band live for their official album release show in Woodstock, NY on May 18, and later, in Germantown, NY on June 15. Tickets are on sale now here. CDs are available for purchase here, and connect with Setting Sun on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to stay up-to-date for much more from the rising band.
THE SELF-PRODUCED
SIXTH FULL-LENGTH
STUDIO ALBUM
THE FEELINGS CURE
DUE OUT MAY 19
VIA YOUNG LOVE RECORDS
& SHARE SINGLE + LYRIC VIDEO
"FEELINGS CURE"
OUT TODAY
LISTEN HERE | WATCH LYRIC VIDEO
JOIN SETTING SUN
FOR THE OFFICIAL ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
ON MAY 18 AT THE COLONY
IN WOODSTOCK, NY
