So Sure was conceived in 2019, and officially formed during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Sean Kelly (vocals, guitars, bass, synth) and Brendan Kelly (guitars, bass, synth, programming) (both from the band A Fragile Tomorrow) shared a similar itch to explore the vast world of dream pop, shoegaze, post punk, and alternative music of the 80s and 90s that they loved deeply.
Longtime friend and collaborator Kyle Polk (drums, pads, percussion) shared a similar interest, and a front-to-back performance together of My Bloody Valentine’s seminal Loveless album sealed the deal.
Caffeine Drip is the first offering from So Sure, featuring five songs written and recorded over two months.
“In the end, we had five songs that I think felt really great to everyone,” Sean Kelly says. “[And] it was personally great to explore this music that I’ve loved for so long.”
Recorded remotely between Savannah GA, Montgomery NY, and Charleston SC, the songs are political and timely, and reflect the frustration and anxiety of the majority of the country.
“The exciting thing about So Sure is that there seems to be so much more to explore with this band,” Kelly says.
“It’s freeing to be able to build something from scratch and figure out what the band is. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that and it’s creatively quite thrilling.”
100% of the proceeds will be donated to the ACLU to aid in its urgent advocacy efforts to demand racial justice and end police brutality.
Backstory (Written by Sean Kelly):
For me, this project is the realization of a dream I’ve had for a long time. Brendan and I have had a common love of bands like Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ride, etc for a long time.
We did some shows in September with our friend Kyle Polk on drums, and one week we played MBV’s ‘Loveless’ in its entirety. We started talking with Kyle about this idea we had of eventually starting a shoegaze band, and he was into it. Time passed, and we decided to give it a go while stuck in our houses.
In the end, we had five songs that I think felt really great to everyone. They’re unavoidably political and timely, and it was personally great to explore this music that I’ve loved for so long.
“Further Down” is possibly my favorite song on the EP, for a lot of reasons. It was built from a lot of little ideas that Brendan and I wrote, and we just kinda put things together to see it they fit. It was an experiment, really, but I think we both had the picture in our minds. Making it happen, especially as a co-write, felt like a real accomplishment.
“Caffeine Drip” is a song that Brendan wrote and arranged all of the music for. He sent me the whole song and I simply just put melody and lyrics to it. That might be the first time that’s ever happened. We do a lot of co-writing, but not like that. I was really influenced by the way a band like Slowdive approaches melodies, with more elongated phrasing and parts that maybe flow more fluidly than songs that take the opposite approach. It was a bit outside of my box melodically, which was fun and challenging.
One of the best things about this project is Kyle, and I can’t emphasize that enough. He’s an incredibly melodic drummer, and his ideas are really musical and full of hooks. We’re lucky enough to play with two unbelievable drummers in both of our bands now, and that’s pretty amazing.
The exciting thing about So Sure is that there seems to be so much more to explore with this band. Kyle has sent instrumental ideas, and we’ve got a pretty large folder of sketches and ideas. We also do want to do some shows, whenever that may be. But either way, it’s freeing to be able to build something from scratch and figure out what the band is. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that and it’s creatively quite thrilling!
TRACK LISTING
1. Caffeine Drip 5:17
2. Cookstown Mary 2:52
3. Banging The Drum So Slowly 4:14
4. Further Down 5:04
5. Paper Thin Skinned 4:44
