Summer Song Premieres: Sunrise by Wild Pines

I think the summertime demands the most out of the music we listen to. We crave that perfect song to play as we stay up a little too late with the friends we don’t see quite enough. And that song also carries the enduring weight of being the mental trigger that will later bring back the memories from that time period. Sunrise, the latest single from Wild Pines, has the potential to forever stir up the feeling of summer 2018 for me and hopefully many others.

Wild Pines is the passion project of Matt Stanland based out of Gainesville, Florida. His new single is the follow up to the EP, Permanent Headspace, that was released earlier in the year. As a stay at home dad, Stanland has ample free time to develop his music and experiment with new processes as an artist. At the encouragement of his friends, he started to bring what was at first just cathartic writing to the stage for the enjoyment of others.

“It was this creative outlet for me to kind of get stuff out of my head,” he said.

Photo via Jeremy Maguire

This new, tranquil indie-pop track has a pleasantly haunting quality to it. Although it’s called “Sunrise,” it’s like going to the beach at night; you know there’s something odd about being there at that time, but it is its own kind of beautiful. Stanland has even taken to calling this the “summer bummer song.” He said that he strategically chose to use minor chords to bring down the emotional undertones of the song.

It was this creative outlet for me to kind of get stuff out of my head.

There’s a thread of juxtaposition that is woven through the single as well. The lyrics have the coolness of internal conflict about them, but the instrumentation casts off a warm glow. When dissecting a song, my first listen is for feeling and the second is for meaning. The lyrics take the listener through the familiar emotional strain of coming to terms with the idea that we shouldn’t deny ourselves the chance to be happy.

The song walks the listener through a story arc while showcasing the vocal range of Stanland. He viewed this song as a writing exercise and an opportunity to explore more of what he could do on a synth. Although “Sunrise” was recorded at home by Stanland, he said he is lucky enough to have a group of friends with a good ear for music that helped him in the mixing and mastering process.

“I always just try to see what happens when I sit down to do music,” he said. “I’m never necessarily trying to go for something specific.”

This new single from Wild Pines feeds into the growing prominence of the Gainesville music scene. Stanland, alongside countless other musicians in the area, is pulling his weight in getting our region on the map as an area producing constant talent to be watched.

“Sunrise” is now available for streaming on Spotify and SoundCloud. For more information about upcoming shows and all things Wild Pines, click here and like the Facebook page.