by Mely Duong
Suburban Living is a band that would typically be categorized in the dream pop genre, and while Wesley Bunch, vocalist, understands that, he contends that there are additional elements that distinguish this group from being labeled strictly as such: playing in different tunings and experimenting with non-typical chord structures. Their music depicts influences from late 80s (think Sonic Youth) and early 90s music so there are undertones of that present in the music as well. Interestingly enough, some other music blogs have defined Suburban Living as pop gaze. When asked what exactly that sub genre was, Bunch laughs, thinking it was funny because even he isn’t sure what that term entails. He refuses to be cornered into one specific genre.
Bunch started the band back in 2012 in Virginia Beach, VA as a side project, although he originally began preparing material and concepts back in 2011. Having grown up in a suburban beach town, he felt that the name was fitting because the place influenced him a lot in terms of sound. Once he began posting songs online, his music caught some traction and he decided to give his sole undivided attention to it and eventually moved to Philadelphia.
The band currently consists of Bunch who is the vocalist, lyricist, and also in charge of maintenance such as booking; Chris Radwanski, guitarist and also in charge of some bookings; Michael Cammarata, drummer; and Peter Pantina, bassist. Each member, having been in previous solid bands in the past, brings to the table experience, responsibility, hard work ethics, creativity, and communication skills. However, this concrete lineup did not come easy. At first, it was difficult to find and keep a live band as Bunch had approximately ten revolving members in the band back in Virginia. Of course, it was difficult to keep people “tight” on the songs when Bunch kept tweaking the setlist by adding new material. “Usually for a band that’s not hard because you’d write the new stuff with your members, but in my case I wrote all the stuff myself and had to keep teaching new people different songs.” Luckily now, Suburban Living has a consistent lineup.
Over the last four years, the core sound of the band has shifted. Initially, the intention was to create bright, poppy music, but since then, “I’ve been able to grasp a true sound to what I hear in my head….now I just want to write whatever the hell I think sounds cool,” states Bunch.
Photo by Kelly Kurteson
With the aforementioned musical influences and the perspective granting lyrics where Bunch puts himself and listeners in someone else’s shoes, the group has been a dynamic force in the music scene. Asides from the transition in sound, Bunch feels that he has learned a lot of patience. “I remember being so rushed to finish this record and having these songs I wasn’t 100% satisfied with and sitting on them for weeks and then eventually I wrote something I was more proud of. As a musician, I’m always trying to improving on communicating the record to the live show. I feel like I’ve gotten better at that.”
So, while the band communicates very well and fully grasps the sound Bunch strives for, transmitting the record to a live show remains a point for continuous improvement. Some songs that have been popular among fans in the past include “I Don’t Fit In” or “Give Up” which are fun songs to listen to Bunch recommends. Suburban Living released an EP in June 2012 titled Cooper’s Dream and then a couple songs for an EP in 2013 called Always Eyes 7“. However, the sound spanning both EPs was rather similar. The band plans on releasing a new record on January 27th.
The group took a bit of a risk and stepped outside of their comfort zone for this new one, so do not expect the usual, but rather a new sound that could leave you unsettled in a good way. The record was recorded sporadically during 2014 but was not actually finished until a couple weeks prior to moving to Philadelphia. Having worked together with Mark Padgett before, who engineered the record, Bunch was able to produce music efficiently as both pushed each other towards a common understanding of the desired sound and vision. Personally, for Bunch his favorite song off the new album would be “Wasted”.
“It’s the most ‘rock’ song on the record, which is fun for me because usually the songs I write are more polished and the vocals are usually more mellow. The chorus in “Wasted” gets pretty rockin’. It’s different for me,” explains Bunch.
In terms of short term goals, Suburban Living hopes to play more rad shows in Philadelphia as well as promote their material, while their long term goals include getting back into the studio and cranking out new material. The Philadephia music scene has made Bunch more focused as there are so many hard working bands here. It keeps him on his toes and compels him to work even more towards his goals. If you missed the album release party last night at Bourbon and Branch, be sure to grab a copy on Tuesday. To learn more about Suburban Living, check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/
