Sunset Rubdown
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | January 1, 2005 in Montreal, Canada |
| Founder | Spencer Krug |
| Headquarters | Montreal , Canada |
Area served | Canada, United States, Europe, Japan |
Key people | Spencer Krug, Camilla Wynne, Michael Doerksen, Jordan Robson-Cramer, Nicholas Merz, Mark Nicol |
| Products | Music albums and EPs |
| Website | jagjaguwar |
Sunset Rubdown is an art rock ensemble originating from Montreal, Canada. It began as a solo venture by Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, who launched the album Snake's Got a Leg in early 2005. By 2006, the project evolved into a complete band with the addition of Camilla Wynne, Jordan Robson-Cramer (Magic Weapon), and Michael Doerksen.
Musical style
Sunset Rubdown’s sound revolves around Spencer Krug’s vocal delivery and his distinctive songwriting. Their lyrics often explore surreal and mythic themes, weaving grand narratives particularly evident on the album Dragonslayer. The group’s music is characterized by inventive drum patterns, keyboards, and guitar arrangements.
Album releases
The first Sunset Rubdown release under Krug’s solo direction was the album Snake's Got a Leg, which came out in June 2005. This was followed by the solo EP Sunset Rubdown in January 2006. The debut full-band record, Shut Up I Am Dreaming, recorded in Montreal and released in May 2006, garnered favorable critiques and secured the 15th spot on Pitchfork’’’s top albums list.
In October 2007, the band issued Random Spirit Lover, recorded at Montreal’s Breakglass Studio and released through Jagjaguwar. This diverse collection received critical praise, appearing on several top-20 year-end compilations. The album earned Pitchfork's "Best New Music" distinction and was nominated for Best Indie Album at the U.S. Indie Music industry's Plug Awards.
Mark Nicol joined as a fifth member in 2007. The band conducted tours across the UK and Europe during June 2008.
After completing a U.S. tour in fall 2008, the group recorded their fourth album in Chicago. Following a spring 2009 European tour, Dragonslayer was released on June 23, 2009, receiving widespread critical acclaim. Praised for its dynamic live studio sound, it earned another "Best New Music" accolade from Pitchfork, a flawless '10' rating from England's Drowned in Sound, and maintained top-10 positions on Canadian and U.S. college and indie charts for ten consecutive weeks.
Dragonslayer featured prominently on numerous year-end best album lists including those by Drowned in Sound, Associated Press, and Earshot. It achieved multiple Top 10 rankings such as on Chart Attack and Cokemachineglow, was voted 16th best album in a readers poll by Pitchfork, and ranked within the year’s top-40 albums on Metacritic.
Following an extensive 46-city tour spanning Europe, the U.S., and Japan from September to November 2009, Sunset Rubdown disbanded.
In December 2022, the band announced a reunion tour across the U.S. and Canada scheduled for spring 2023 lasting two months. Building on this momentum, they planned to record their first new album after a 14-year hiatus. On July 8, 2024, they unveiled the single "Reappearing Rat" alongside news of their forthcoming album Always Happy to Explode, slated for release on September 20, 2024.
Discography
- Snake's Got a Leg LP (2005) Global Symphonic
- Sunset Rubdown EP (2006) Global Symphonic
- Shut Up I Am Dreaming LP (2006) Absolutely Kosher
- Random Spirit Lover LP (2007) Jagjaguwar
- Sunset Rubdown Introducing Moonface EP (2009) Aagoo Records
- Dragonslayer LP (2009) Jagjaguwar
- Always Happy to Explode LP (2024) Pronounced Kroog
Personnel
At the time of their formation, all members were located in Montreal, although their origins trace back to various other areas: Spencer Krug, Michael Doerksen, and Jordan Robson-Cramer come from British Columbia; Camilla Wynne is originally from Alberta; and Nicholas Merz, who became part of the group following the 2022 reunion, is from Washington State.
- Spencer Krug – vocals, keyboards, guitar, kick drum
- Camilla Wynne – vocals, percussion, keyboards
- Michael Doerksen – guitar, bass, synthesizers, drums, vocals
- Jordan Robson-Cramer – drums, guitar, keyboards
- Nicholas Merz – bass, drums, vocals
External links
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Musical groups established in 2005
- Musical groups from Montreal
- Canadian indie rock groups
- English-language musical groups from Quebec
- Jagjaguwar artists
- Musical groups disestablished in 2009
- 2005 establishments in Quebec
- 2009 disestablishments in Quebec
- Musical groups reestablished in 2022
- Absolutely Kosher Records artists