Suntrodden
Atlanta, Georgia, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | SELF
Music
Press
I know weekends can be hard to leave, and it’s difficult to get back into the work week, but we are here for you with tunes that will help that transition. This tune, “Stay Gone,” will ease the pain of Monday as you let your mind stay in the weekend with this gentle indie rock track. There’s a simple elegance to the track– the guitar jangles along, but in no real rush, while the vocals are so lush and mellow. Bits of percussion add the final touches on the song so that you’re swooning through all two minutes. If you like this track, make sure you check out the rest of the debut EP from Atlanta’s Suntrodden, which you can check out right here. - Austin Town Hall
Most artists have a ritual they invoke or a place they return to when they want to get their creative juices flowing. Atlanta singer/songwriter Erik Stephansson, who has been performing as Suntrodden since 2013, conjures inspiration at his family’s 100 year old piano, channeling his forbearers into his art. Stephansson is currently at work on a three-part suite of EPs, which he records at his own Atlanta-based Echo Bright Studios. Suntrodden I came out in February of this year, and will be followed on October 28th by Sundtrodden II, a sophomore effort that finds Stephansson trading in the darker themes of the first EP for brighter tones and a sunnier attitude. Maybe his ancestors sent him summer-time vibes through the old ivory.
Today, Elmore is premiering “Melt,” a track from the upcoming release, Suntrodden II. Of the track, Stephansson told us, “I always found the phrase ‘I melted’ interesting — whether it was used to describe the heat of summer, a romantic encounter, or a sweet gesture. The song started as an attempt to weave those three themes together as I was imaging a couple melting into one another as the world swirled around them. When I was writing the song, I accidentally slipped into the scene and found myself writing to the muse rather than about the muse, which created a more personal dynamic.”
Stephansson’s breathy, breezy vocals carry across an acoustic guitar-driven, gentle sort of psychedelia, from the synesthetic jumbling of the senses- “I think I thought I heard you smile”- to kaleidoscopic repetition. The infectious tune mingles the introspective lyricism of Elliot Smith with the jangling indie-experimentation of Elephant 6 Collective. Clearly, sunny days are ahead for Stephansson. - Elmore Magazine
Suntrodden (AKA singer-songwriter Erik Stephansson) creates a picturesque ideology of plucked folk noise and indie pop ebullience. His work is home to an omnipresent clarity that guides his every word and note, a determined rhythmic blueprint for how to express the deepest emotional longing from the simplest production. He is set to release "Suntrodden II" Oct. 28, an EP that follows its predecessor, "Suntrodden I," from earlier this year. And whereas that release was a bit more about how to anticipate the darkness around you, this new record is slightly more relaxed and isn't afraid to let more light come to rest on the edges of each track.
On his new single, "All We Are," Stephansson crafts a meticulously graceful rumination on what it means to be human and how expectations can extinguish the light that exists when we're younger. This is a simple song told profoundly, a jewel of austere arrangement and execution. His soaring voice, acoustic and electric guitars, and a devious melody all connect at just the right angles to form a song that revels in its vulnerability. He's not purposefully revealing all that rests within his heart—it's just a natural consequence of his joyously inclusive aesthetic. Short but powerful, "All We Are" is an instinctual recognition of what connects us as people and how we can make those associations last for a lifetime. - Nooga.com
Discography
Suntrodden I is the first of three EPs being released in 2016. It includes the singles "Sunrise to Sunset" and "It's Never Over" as well as "Float Away," "Come Alive," and "Stay Gone."
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Bio
Back in 2013, Erik Stephansson was lying under the Bonnaroo sun contemplating the direction of his life. No longer a young dreamer, and about to become a father for the first time, he was wondering what changes were looming on the horizon. With no room for regret, he used this wonderful moment to inspire him and focus his songwriting on a new project. Revitalised with positivity, Stephansson channelled this energy into Suntrodden, the ideal vehicle for his dreamy indie pop.
Now comes his new record Suntrodden I, the first in a triptych of EPs which present the crystallization of Stephansson’s sanguine vision. Of the project he says “I think they largely explore personal struggles and the way we overcome those challenges. I try to always look at the songs through an optimistic lens.” This lens is also a hazy window into his world. It is a drowsy conversation at the start of the day, when hope once again fills the room.
By adopting a strict approach to songwriting, inspired by Jack White’s similar set of rules, he sat down to make music that was pared-back, with limited instrumentation and only minor editing. The resulting five songs wholly reflect their creator’s perspective, packed with optimism and spirit. When he sings “gonna give it all I got” on spectral opening track Sunrise to Sunset, you can hear the steely resolve that underpins his positive message.
Each of the songs began life on his 100 year old piano, an antique handed down to Stephansson by his music teaching aunt. Despite being subsequently worked on in Echo Bright Studios, his home studio in Atlanta, Georgia, you can definitely hear that genesis in Suntrodden’s ageless music. Even with modern equipment at his fingertips, the songs remain sparse and uncomplicated. Rather than diving into the limitless rabbit hole of multi-track recording, he stuck to his ‘rules’ and kept the songs stripped of any unnecessary clutter, without even a drum kit for company.
Suntrodden I is the perfect introduction to Stephansson’s talent and one that lets you hear his influences without them ever dominating. The double-tracked vocals of Elliott Smith, surreal daze of Beach House and melodic simplicity of The Beatles all inform his sound but more important are his own experiences. The record’s hushed early morning tone echoes the life of a new parent more than anything else – just as a lullaby soothes a newborn, there are redemptive powers in the music of Suntrodden.
With this release, Stephansson has nowhere to hide. He has bared his soul and refused to cloud it with production and noise, instead illuminating it with the simplicity of well-crafted songs. For those of us who like our music to come from the heart and carry us off into a dream, we couldn’t ask for anything more.
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