Party of the Sun shape their surroundings with Fullest Hour LP - (9/3/21)
Party of the Sun, Fullest Hour, Artwork by Charlotte Holden
Party of the Sun release their second album, Fullest Hour, available September 3rd on Digital Formats and Compact Disc via Trailing Twelve Records.
Trailing Twelve Records presents Fullest Hour: the second full-length album from New Hampshire-based outfit Party of the Sun set for release on September 3rd. A follow-up to their debut album Trekker and subsequent Goldenwood EP, Fullest Hour finds Party of the Sun merging climatic variations into musings on connectedness, nature, and fatherhood. The result is a delicate mingling of experimental Americana, psychedelic folk, and organic ambiance.
Since its inception, Party of the Sun has been a collaborative project led by songwriter Ethan McBrien and producer/multi-instrumentalist Rory Hurley. Throughout their discography, the duo has tapped various collaborators to add their textural expertise as needed. Party of the Sun’s current iteration welcomes drummer and percussionist Garrett Cameron.
With the majority of their previous albums written on a sheep farm, a close relationship with nature continues to be central to the band. Taking a new approach to writing, McBrien and Hurley penned the songs we hear on Fullest Hour while on long walks in the crisp evening air of New England’s autumnal months. The duo began recording the album in late 2020 with a minimalist vision of using primarily guitar, mandolin, and wood block. Additional tinkering led to the recruitment of Cameron and the expansion to full drums, various keyboards, banjo, and vibraphone.
Fullest Hour finds itself as a continuation of Party of the Sun’s organic sound, however more expansive, mature, and vulnerable. The sun-filled introduction “Bottomless” sets shape to the fleeting and heartfelt tone throughout the album. You can hear an earnestness and care in McBrien’s voice, a soon-to-be father at the time of writing, as he sings “[we’re gonna catch you kid / ain’t gonna let you hit the bottom].” The adventurous and undulating “Brassicas” finds the band playing with texture and space to help illustrate the lyrical commentary on the intersection of nature and industry.
I spent much of 2020 writing songs by recording improv and listening back for cohesive passages. The acoustic part for “Brassicas” emerged this way. Some weeks later, traveling past a barren field, I started thinking about our relationship with soil and how it mirrors our relationship with one another. This was the spark, I wrote the lyrics and vocal melody that afternoon. - McBrien
Ephemeral ambient interludes “Trekker,” “Ursidae,” and “Marcescence'' act as moments of meditation tying together the album’s overarching narrative of connectedness. Longer form entries such as “Idle Bend” and “Weight of Age” exemplify the trio’s ability to maintain tone while seamlessly shifting tempo and time signatures. The album’s final moments take place within “Highline,” a dreamy and melancholy ballad on how we shape and are shaped by our surrounding conditions - how shedding the illusion of separateness is the work of being human.
McBrien shares the process that spurred “Highline” below.
I wrote the initial version of “Highline” during a break from stacking wood early last spring. It was the first track Rory finished for the new album. Digging deeper into his creative vision as a producer, it established the standard for the rest of the album.
In title, Fullest Hour is an allusion to the ephemeral beauty of nature. McBrien explains that “songs can be a lot like flowers in their hour of elegance.” There is an innate desire to make beauty last, to hold onto it, but perhaps impermanence is central to beauty. Fullest Hour distills the feeling of fleeting beauty into thirty minutes of wistful, emotional, and thought-provoking compositions.
Fullest Hour will be available on digital formats and compact disc worldwide on Friday, September 3rd via Trailing Twelve Records.
Take a listen to “Brassicas” below.
Fullest Hour Tracklist:
Bottomless
Brassicas
Trekker
Idle Bend
Ursidae
Weight of Age
Every Eye
On Its Own
Marcescence
Highline
Party of the Sun is:
Ethan McBrien – guitars, banjo, keyboards, vocals
Rory Hurley – guitars, keyboards, drums, bass, mandolin
Garrett Cameron – drums, vibraphone, percussion
Recorded at the base of Kidder Hill in Marlborough, New Hampshire
Mixed & Mastered by Rory Hurley
Artwork By Charlotte Holden
Press Photos by Ben Conant
Press Contact: trailingtwelve@gmail.com
TTR017
© & ℗ 2021 Trailing Twelve Records. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized Copying, Reproduction, Hiring, Lending, Public Performance, And Broadcasting Strictly Prohibited.
PARTY OF THE SUN - Fullest Hour LP
TTR-017
Released 3 September 2021
Length: 29:29
BIO
Party of the Sun is a psychedelic folk band from New Hampshire, comprised of Ethan McBrien, Rory Hurley, and Garrett Cameron.
Since 2006, both McBrien and Hurley have recorded and performed together in various projects. Throughout his career, McBrien has always had an interest in folk music; writing many songs influenced by the Americana tradition. In the fall of 2015, McBrien and Hurley began recording this material. These collaborative sessions at McBrien’s home - a small sheep farm in Marlborough, NH - were the impetus of what has become Party of the Sun.
Their discography includes the debut EP Lay Low (2017), debut album Trekker (2019), and Goldenwood EP (2020). The band announced their second album Fullest Hour, due out September 3rd via Trailing Twelve Records.
Party of the Sun has been featured in television shows such as Deputy on Fox and Charmed on The CW. They have shared the stage with acts including William Tyler, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Footings, The Weight Band, and more.