SUNRISE ACADEMY: THE IRREPLICABLE SOUND OF TWO BEST FRIENDS
- La Lena
- Oct 30, 2024
- 4 min read
Best friends Yakob and Julian found started singing together at 13 and never stopped, now we know them as Sunrise Academy.
The indie pop scene has had a new arrival thrust onto its doorstep and it's the best friend duo Yakob and Julian, better known as Sunrise Academy. I love a good aptronym and I feel we've found another fitting example in the Sunrise Academy whose music almost feels like the forgiving apricity warming you on an otherwise cold winter morning. It's hopeful. It's the kind of music that provokes an involuntary 'sigh and slouch' as I like to call it, a let go, music that relaxes.
I've always been curious at how certain music does that. Is it a tonal thing? Or a special combination of notes only a select few have the secret code to? I'm sure there's some enlightening scientific explanation as to why bands like Sunrise Academy can ease any wearied mind in 2-5 minute ventures. But for now, I like to believe it's more of a God-given mystic ability. In my efforts to uncover the (very obviously transcendental) origins of Sunrise Academy's musical prowess, I spoke to the band and here's what they had to say.
Yakob and Julian, two best friends who met at summer camp when they were 13 years old, started making music almost since the day they met. Despite living hours away from one another they bonded over their shared love for music production and it kept them connected. Initially they started "making songs in Julian's closet on a raggedy setup" and "would send wav files to each other over email of ideas" because of the distance. Eventually they "dropped a couple of songs under another artist's name and people really liked them. [They] got one on the radio so [they] kept it up". A year later Sunrise Academy was born. Their process has evolved since but kept it's authentic roots, "usually Yakob will make a rough beat on the computer and [they] will build the entire song from there". Like many artists, Sunrise Academy's discography is built on a foundation of improvisation. Going with the flow. Seeing where the music takes you. They, "never have a specific thing [they're] writing about usually, it just forms through the melody". In a sector arguably dominated by industry plants and forced, inauthentic expression tailored to a hungry, ever-critical audience, it's refreshing to see two guys genuinely passionate about the music, about the feel of it. That's the thing, at least in my opinion, lots of producers seem to have logicised the life out of mainstream pop music. There's a formula, a by-the-book process to guarantee a hit. Many modern-day musicians have lost that indefinable, absolutely crucial 'quality' in their tracks - the ever-clandestine feel. This is what Sunrise Academy gets right. They just get it.
With an EP on the way and a tour on the horizon, things are really taking off for the band. But one track I particularly love, happens to be the first song they ever released, Wondering Why and the story behind it is heart-warming. Although the song isn't about anyone especially, they "made it during a picture perfect summer [they] had together. [Julian] would drive up and spend the summer with him a few hours away, and [they] would come to the studio and work on it for a few hours everyday. That's a very special song". If you've not given it a listen yet, I would definitely recommend. It's one of those songs where you can't really be sad listening to it. It's gentle, but so catchy. I definitely wouldn't mind it being stuck in my head all day, it feels like a summer's day. To say this is the very first song they released, who knows where the group will be in a few years. These guys have something about them. This is the kind of music which makes people happy, and this feeling is exemplified in Wondering Why.
When we asked Sunrise Academy what they want audiences to take from their music, they told us that, "Sunrise Academy is a place of solace for those in need of hope, it should feel like a morning sunrise, the start of a new day". Their music radiates joy and hope, these guys truly have something special here. Of course they are clearly musically talented, but it's the connection they have that facilitates this kind of success. Sunrise Academy's advice to anyone wanting to pursue music is that you should, "make what you want. You don't know what other people are going to want, [...] make it for yourself. Practice, fail and find your voice, the journey is long and it's up to you to decide if it's one you're willing to go on. It can be exciting, fun and scary, but believe in yourself. It's corny advice but it's extremely true". I think any musician would agree, they hit the nail on the head there.
Genuine is the word. Sunrise Academy deserve all the success coming their way, and I expect them to go very far. As musicians their technical skills are beyond impressive and as people they seem to truly care.
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