Much like their namesake flower, Adelaide quartet Sunsick Daisy are growing onwards and upwards with their new single ‘It’ll Be Alright’.
First off, congrats on being mentioned in Rolling Stone’s “Best Australian Music of the Week!” How are we feeling about it?
Sarah: I never thought we’d be in Rolling Stone.
Jackson: It’s pretty cool. We were driving when we found out, and I was freaking out.
You’re going to release your sophomore EP. What’s different this time around? Can you guys give us a description of what we can expect?
Sarah: It’s more eclectic, with quite vast differences. The songs we’ve just released will be on it, and we’ve also got one that’s super shoegaze, and another that’s heavier. It shows who we are.
Kevin: What we’re trying to say is that it’s almost the physical manifestation of our progress as a band. Although the songs sound different from the last EP, you can still tell it’s us behind the instruments, the music, and the lyrics. It’s a display of our growth as musicians and songwriters. Those are the four core things we’ve grown in.
Kane: We’ve been sitting on it for quite a while, and it’s one of those bodies of work that we feel very connected to and excited about.
So, Kev did an interview for their school, Blackfriars Priory School back in 2022 where they mentioned short-term goals like recording more music and touring the country. This is Sunsick Daisy’s biggest tour yet. Do you guys want to review some of these focuses and create new ones today?
Kevin: The tour we’re currently on is great. We’re hitting cities we’ve never been to before, meeting new people and supporters. The other night in Sydney, we played, and when we announced that we could play more, people in the crowd cheered for us. It was wonderful in a new city and warmed my heart. For future goals this year and onward, I’d say touring more and looking beyond national tours in the years to come.
Sarah: It would be amazing to tour with another band. Perhaps do a combined or support tour around Australia, and maybe even travel overseas in the near future. That would be nice.
What are your favourite songs in your discography? Why?
Jackson: My favorite is probably ‘Away From Me’. It’s one of those drum parts where I look back and think, ‘even though I wrote that a while ago, that part aged really well.’ It’s probably one of my favorite personal parts, plus it has great melody and production…
Kane: For me, it’s going to be ‘Young Wonder’ from the next EP. It depicts a time in my life, and once it’s out, it’ll feel as if that door has closed and I can move on. It means a lot to me, and we put considerable effort into it, had fun in the studio, and tried new things while producing. It’s great.
Kevin: I think ‘I’m Coming Home’ is pretty cool. Similar to what Jackson mentioned, it feels great to play live. The melody is excellent, the guitar solo is fantastic, and the drums are impressive. I really enjoy playing that bass line too, especially in the second verse… It’s always fun.
Sarah: My current favorite is probably another track from our sophomore EP called ‘Bite My Tongue’. It’s so much fun to play. I wrote it reflecting on the trauma I went through, and now being able to play it and receive such positive responses, listening back to it makes me think, ‘that’s amazing.’ I turned something terrible into something awesome, and I’m really proud of myself for that. It makes me feel really good.
I looked at the latest single Sunsick Daisy released, but I’m still looking back at ‘Someone Like You’. I noticed you have had a massive textual shift. In ‘Someone Like You’, you were trying to navigate the world. You all started out pretty young, and as you said, for example, “18 without a clue”. Now, you’re shifting into a place where you have support. We are looking forward to the future. But how is that shift being handled amongst yourselves? Are you still adjusting to it?
Sarah: Definitely, definitely, still adjusting. I’m going back to therapy, man. But no, it’s good.
2025, the year we all go back to therapy.
Sarah: I think so.
Kane: I think the band – I feel like we’re kind of closer than we ever have been before. I think we’ve been through a lot together, and it’s just… I’m incredibly proud of everybody in the band. I know we’ve grown up with each other. I’ve known Jackson since I was 11. And Sarah and Kevin have known Jackson since we were around 14/15 years old. Now, we’re in our early 20s, and touring together, and it’s just really nice.
Sarah: I think being on Unearthed finalists so close to when we started the band meant we were just thrown in the deep end. So, we were kind of forced to deal with all of this pressure. But it was great. It was fantastic. But I think being able to navigate that together, and now, having come so far from that, being able to reflect and say, ‘hey, that was a lot to deal with. Let’s unpack that.’ And just being able to do that, I feel we’ve grown a lot closer as people, and we’re growing a lot as musicians as well. I think we’re all doing that together, and I’m really proud of us.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Sarah: Reach out for support. Whenever you feel like you need it, reach out to someone because it’s so much pressure. It’s like a full-time job. It’s so fulfilling, but it is like a full-time job, and it can get very overwhelming. So, as soon as you feel like you’re getting a bit burnt out, reach out to someone for support, because otherwise you’re doing no one any favors.
Kevin: Communicate with everyone you work with. Treat it like you’re in a relationship with a partner, I suppose.
Jackson: Always look over your shoulder and look out for yourself, because this industry sometimes isn’t safe if you’re not careful.
Sarah: Be mindful of people who try to take advantage, but, you know, this is not in any way to deter anyone from the industry. It takes some adjusting – if you have the right people around you, it makes it easy. It makes it so much easier – being with these guys. It just feels like breathing. It’s just, it all comes so easily and I really like it.
‘It’ll Be Alright’ is an anthem for reassurance in those around you and the future. Where do you think Sunsick Daisy will be in the future?
Kane: I mean, I hope I’ll still be doing it with everyone, but when I’m 60. I have the most fun with this band. I’ve been just really happy and like to be doing this with three of my best friends ever, and to do all the things that we are going to do and have done, it’s just the most exciting thing ever. And, I think we’re at a really strong point now in our relationship where it’s not codependency. But, I feel like I couldn’t, I couldn’t function properly without these three people beside me.
It’s really good to know that you have a strong and solid bond like that. It’s really nice to see that a lot of people in the creative industries, oftentimes, have really good bonds with people who can look after them and make art with them. It’s been an absolute pleasure talking to you all.
‘It’ll Be Alright’ is available on all streaming platforms, but keep an eye out for the EP!