San Diego’s Bent Blue and Philly’s Sunstroke are two of the brightest new voices in emotive melodic hardcore, so it’s exciting that they’ve teamed up for a split EP, out this Friday (6/30) via WAR Records and New Morality Zine. The split has one new original song and one cover from each band, with Bent Blue taking on emocore pioneers One Last Wish’s “Three Unkind Silences” and Sunstroke taking on The Cranberries’ “Salvation” (with sax by Matt Ellis of ska-punk greats Kill Lincoln), a song that actually works really well as a melodic hardcore song. The split’s not officially out until tomorrow, but a full stream premieres right now in this post.
As for how the split came together, Bent Blue vocalist Tony Bertolino says:
Early in the pandemic we were introduced to Sunstroke through Indy Powers of Coin Toss Records. We had just put out our demo and saw that Sunstroke were actively releasing some cool records that were in the same musical space as us. As [Sunstroke vocalist] Sean [Farlow] and I began talking, we thought it would be cool for both bands to share a split 7″. We liked the idea of each band doing one original and one cover, and so Bent Blue started writing and recorded two songs in late 2020. Some time passed and we had begun writing our EP Where Do Ripples Go? and by that point decided to put out a remastered version of our demo and add the two songs intended for the split to that release instead. So, soon after recording our EP, we got back in the studio and recorded two additional new songs, which are the two tracks you now hear on the split.
Speaking about their song “Shades of Strength,” Tony says:
“Shades of Strength” is a love-letter to striking workers. Most of the benefits we as workers take for granted today, and the benefits we still deserve tomorrow, have either been won or are still being fought for by striking workers who have made huge sacrifices of finance, comfort, health, and even life on our behalf. I think it’s important to recognize the hardships workers have surmounted for us, because their efforts can inspire us to push for more collectively-deserved dignity within our own scopes of work. Striking workers are the cumulative bits of shade that give us reprieve from capitalism’s scorching sun.
Speaking about their song “Nineteen,” Sunstroke’s Sean Farlow says:
“Nineteen” is a song about personal struggle and accountability. At some point, you have to navigate and figure things out on your own. The title is in reference to struggles that I personally went through in 2019 and it’s our 19th (original) song released to date. 19 is also a lucky number in my household.
If you’re unfamiliar with Bent Blue and/or Sunstroke but into anything from Revolution Summer to Turning Point to Title Fight to Fiddlehead, give this split a listen. It’s streaming below. Pre-order the vinyl from WAR Records or New Morality Zine.
The split follows Bent Blue’s 2022 EP Where Do Ripples Go? and Sunstroke’s 2022 two-song single “Buzzer Beater” / “Everyday Bouquet.”