Today, the Hudson Valley, NY based indie rock-folk band Setting Sun shares their self-produced, first album in ten years, The Feelings Cure, out everywhere now via Young Love Records. The long-awaited album meets the band where they are today. Through driving upbeat rhythms and introspective, optimistic lyrics, the group looks back at what made them who they are today and discovers more of who they would like to be in the future. Alongside the release of the full album, the band shares tongue-in-cheek, comedy-meets-songwriting track and lyric video, "Good Die Young" out now.
Plus, join Setting Sun live on June 3 at Dogwood in Beacon, NY and in Germantown, NY on June 15 for Riverside Concerts. Tickets are on sale now via settingsuntheband.com.
Led by frontman and primary songwriter Gary Levitt, the 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 within the gaps of being a father. 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."
Along with the album, Setting Sun shares the latest cheeky track and lyric video "Good Die Young." The track sees the band take a different approach lyrically as it emerged during Levitt's six-year stint as a standup comedian in New York City. Levitt says, "Writing it was an exercise in self-deprecation, with a tongue-in-cheek approach to the lyrics. Although I've always struggled to blend my comedic wit with songwriting, this track showcases the closest I've ever gotten. And while I'm not entirely sure I want to venture deeper into that realm, I'm happy with how this song expresses it."
With the newest, most comprehensive body of work yet out today, 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 release of the full project follows the previously shared reflective "Same Face," along with its pensive music video, the bright, acoustic track "Cool" and its accompanying lyric video and the first taste of the project, "Feelings Cure." a track that aims to resist feelings of pain and sadness through music.
"Same Face" explores the emotions that come with returning to a meaningful place after significant time passes. The track emerged after Levitt moved back to Hudson Valley, NY from Brooklyn, NY, a return that encouraged him to evaluate the various changes to a place and person that naturally occur over time. Levitt says, "Some things had changed, and some seemed paused in time. Those that were paused in time were still different because I had changed. 'Same Face' captured that feeling for me." It's a song that can best be heard as a soundtrack to a neighborhood walk. Levitt adds, "I picture myself walking around looking at the people when listening to it."
The bright, acoustic track "Cool" was initially made for a Coke commercial, but after not winning the spot, Levitt was left with a song he loved. Levitt shares, "I got hired to write 60 seconds of music to go along with a final edit of a commercial. I ended up writing a song I loved and not getting the commercial. I then got to rework it and make it a full song. It’s a spirited story of a love for life captured through the beauty, confusion and paradoxes the world presents itself as."
Levitt says "Feelings Cure" 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."
Yesterday, Setting Sun celebrated the release of the album with a hometown album release show at Colony in Woodstock, NY. Next month, on June 3, the band will play at Dogwood in Beacon, NY and later, June 15, the band will perform at Riverside Concerts in Germantown, NY. Tickets are available now via settingsuntheband.com.
Setting Sun, guided by 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.
The Feelings Cure, the sixth studio album by Setting Sun is out everywhere now via Young Love Records. Join Setting Sun in Beacon, NY on June 3 and 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 more from the rising band.