Java.March.2017

It’s been a privilege to cover every release
of a band in the same magazine for half a
decade. I saw great promise in Sundressed
before they released their debut EP, catching
them live at Long Wong’s at the Firehouse. That
was followed by a stunning full-length album
called Whiskey With Milk in 2013. Both of those
early records are out of print and hard to find,
but worthy if you want to understand just how
far Sundressed and the musical vision of Trevor
Hedges have come.
The twin efforts from 2015, Dig Up a Miracle
and The Same Condition, signaled the “golden
age” of Sundressed, which continues to this
day. Hedges seems to have it sussed, and the
only person he’s ever competing with is himself.
Consequently, each record gets better, more
authentic and more original. A Little Less Put
Together is the apex of Sundressed’s trajectory
that started five years ago.
Sundressed seemed to kick into its current
mode once Forest Walldorf joined up with
Garrett Tretta and Hedges. It’s the lineup
that’s produced a consistent flow of records
for the last two years. A Little Less Put
Together is the result of the hard work and
focus of that dream team in the studio. It turns
out the record is nicely timed for these angsty
times. Never discount the power of weasel punk
to set you free.
While Sundressed is definitely punk, it’s always
debatable if they are more pop punk, emo or
some other sub-genre, which why I stick with
their self-proclaimed “weasel punk.” That said,
the album opener, “Of Course,” is so musically
filled with sunshine pop that it’s difficult to
deny that they have hooks for days. There’s
almost a surf vibe to it, which is a bit of a twist
for them. Still, it’s so catchy that your mind
will start making a video as you listen. It’s
like an afternoon skating on the Venice Beach
boardwalk, but made into sound, and a damned
exciting way to kick off the record.
By the second song, you realize why it felt like
Sundressed was hiding away all of last year:
because they were perfecting this record. “Mill
Ave. and Broadway” begins with a charming,
chiming guitar. It’s clear that Hedges is creating
an album from the heart, as much about energy
as it is about beauty. With the sound of a busking
guitar and a street-bad beat, there is a vitality
to this peculiar number. Unlike a lot of
previous songs from Sundressed, the lyrics
come to your consciousness later, because
the music is so overwhelmingly composed
and arranged—the trumpet found here during
the bridge, for instance.
Somehow “Frankford” feels like more familiar
Sundressed territory, but simply produced to
the level that their songwriting demands. Here
the lyrics of a romantic breakup come to the
forefront, along with the emotion of the music, as
Hedges confesses, “I’ve never lived alone.” It’s a
brilliant synthesis of a moment most people have
been privy to in their life.
“Lime Light” features vocals of Charles Barth,
from Saddles, fresh off releasing their finest
album to date. “Lime Light” was this year’s
advance single for the album release, and it
definitely left fans, old and new, impressed
with the direction the band is heading in. Here
it doesn’t seem as shocking; instead, within
the context of the album, it feels right at
home—brilliant high-energy pop that owes as
much to punk as it does to 1960’s pop.
The title track begins with a crackle, Hedges’
vocal and a distant reverb guitar. As it builds,
it feels like a microcosm for the entire album,
impressing the listener with a signature sound
that doesn’t ape anyone else. (Their influences
are long since consumed and digested.) This
album is the synthesis of all they’ve done
before—all the records and all the tours. It takes
the brilliance of the title track to finally drive this
home, nearly at the halfway point. The irony with
A Little Less Put Together is that Trevor, Garrett
and Forest have never been more put together, in
terms of sound.
“Auto Pilot” was the sole single from this
album released last year, and carried with it
one of the best videos, with various cameos
throughout. Still, had you asked me last
year what the album would sound like, with
this as my only reference, I would have said
Sundressed had made their pop-punk dreams
come true. That’s not the case—they’ve made a
much more artistic statement.
Still, at the time, “Auto Pilot” carried a
production value that was impressive. It now
seems quite representative of the record’s
overall sound. Then there’s the garage rock
of “Highlights,” which is a bit like a nostalgia
piece with a desert-surf vibe. It’s got an
alternative nerd rock thing going on, no matter
what you call it. There’s a bit of John Hughes
yearning in there, along with disco harmonies
that are slightly surprising.
The clever title of “Feelings Mart” aside, this
song comes on like an ode to shoegaze, right
up until the vocals kick in. No complaints there,
but I wasn’t expecting any darkwave hints on
this album at the outset. Once the vox kicks in,
the guitars take a more angular approach, and
this is Sundressed pulling through an exercise in
post-punk, whether intentional or not. They wear
it well, and that feeling ebbs and flows, with a
fascinating overarching composition in terms of
sheer architecture.
“Until We’ve Got Nothin’” kicks off in an unusual
manner that suggests Americana, but it doesn’t
stay that way. On the other hand, it comes off
every bit as punk as Talking Heads and emerges
as one of the more charming songs on the
album—a touch out of place, with a hint of
musical daring and a juxtaposition that works in
the end.
The raving guitar that kicks off “Gentle Giant”
is a bit of a startle, and the riff sounds more
like KISS at their height or Cheap Trick at their
hardest. Either way, this is a rocker that slays
but sticks to pretty traditional territory, which
is a surprise in itself. Get this to rock and
hard rock stations immediately. I know it’s not
Sundressed’s usual market, but they’ll eat this up.
Even the finale, “Something Good,” feels like
a college-rock anthem in waiting. It is as close
to My Chemical Romance as Sundressed ever
gets. There are so many forces at work in this
song that it leaves your heart soaring. It’s a
magnificent finale. This was the Sundressed
album I had been waiting for.
Sundressed will release A Little Less Put
Together on March 16 at The Rebel Lounge
with Saddles, Eclipses For Eyes, Way Under
and Trent.
JAVA 31
MAGAZINE