Watch: Sirens — Sunflower Thieves

I wrote about the beautiful music of Leeds-based duo Sunflower Thieves earlier this year, after I put them through at my stage of judging Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition in 2020. Back again with a new single, and now a video, Sirens only reinforces in my mind how much promise and talent the pair, Amy and Lily, have.

Once again leveraging their trademark dream-folk sound, Sunflower Thieves have gently embellished their sound with the kind of subtle touches that add to the song without distracting from its emotional core. Amy and Lily’s vocal harmonisation continues to be the central draw, but gently modulated sounds combine with acoustic guitar, light percussive sounds and keys to add to the song’s melody.

Whilst it could be mistaken for a love song, the duo highlight that it’s really about friendship, perhaps irrespective of whether that exists within a purely platonic relationship or not:

“Sirens’ is a song about friendship, inspired by particular people. When things feel overwhelming, tuning into a relationship or friendship with someone who needs you can keep you grounded, and keep you both moving forwards.”

I’m lucky enough to have some of those people in my life, and I recognise and am grateful for the grounding security of those connections with people that endure. They can act as a form of gravity, stopping me from losing my bearings and my place when I require it most. I’ve missed Thanksgiving by a day, and I’m not American, but here it is anyway… Enjoy, and thank you.

Listen: Don’t Mind The Weather — Sunflower Thieves

I recently had a dream that I attended a trial run of Glastonbury festival. It was a slightly compressed version of the usual event that attempted to test whether it was possible to maintain social distancing at a music festival. Dream-based conclusion? No, quite impossible!

I find COVID-19 has a way of infecting my dreams like this (sorry not sorry) — less in the foreground and more in the context in which I exist. My brain’s way of trying to process the fact that things once taken for granted are now hard to fathom.

Back before the very idea of music festivals felt so alien, I was tasked with being a judge for the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition, and one of the acts I happily put through were Leeds-based duo Sunflower Thieves. Together, Amy and Lily create atmospheric folk-pop, and it has a beautiful otherworldly feel to it.

Conceived in Lily’s home studio, Don’t Mind The Weather was written in partnership with fellow-Leeds artist and friend of the band, Mehalah Ray. Originally, the song was set out as a relatively straightforward acoustic piece, but production work from Lily has created a more ethereal sound. The vocal harmonies and slowly shifting instrumentation give Don’t Mind The Weather a dreamlike feel. Describing the song, the pair explain:

“Don’t Mind The Weather translates as, ‘don’t worry, this is where you’re grounded and safe’, a tale of wanting to make the most of that feeling and stay inside. The message conveyed is that no matter how the seasons and weather may change, the gravitational pull of the moon — the person you feel safe with — will keep you grounded and safe. We based it on the moon’s relationship with the tides, and the idea that it’s easy to get swept away in everything that’s going on, but that there’s beauty in that, and the relationship with this person overcomes it all anyway.”

It’s a notion that, in the context, feels particularly reassuring — the companionships that make you feel grounded and safe will endure.

Buy Don't Mind The Weather on 7" vinyl: https://smarturl.it/CPWMSunflowerThieves/officialstore Listen on Spotify: https://smarturl.it/CPWMSunflowerThieves Follow Sunflower Thieves Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunflowerthieves Twitter: https://twitter.com/sunthievesmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunflowerthieves/