After an almost two-year hiatus, Newark, NJ's Punk/Rap foursome Sunny Gang is back with a new EP. American Carnage was written and recorded over the course of this extended break while the band's members transitioned from college life into the corporate world. The frustration that comes with joining the ranks of the working dead, putting their passions on hold in favor of sitting in cubicles and staring at the clock, has served as the main source of inspiration for this new batch of songs. The band joined forces with producer (and former Hidden In Plain View guitarist) Rob Freeman of Audio Pilot Studios to distill these frustrations, and an ever-expanding list of musical influences, into a five-track middle finger to corporate life and the status quo.
Sunny Gang debuted American Carnage on June 21st at the Asbury Park Brewery in Asbury Park alongside New Brunswick hardcore favorites Dusters, Asbury punkers Nervous Triggers, Monmouth County rap group OFFTOPKILLS and long-time friend and collaborator, Newark-based rhymer OhWon.
You can catch Sunny Gang this summer at the Mad Liberation Festival in Hammonton, NJ for their third year running. Mad Liberation is a 3 day/2 night nonstop music, arts and camping festival, running non-stop from August 2nd to 4th. The band will be lighting up The Pine Barrens alongside NJ punk favorites Screaming Females, former Ratking leader WIKI, Brooklyn-based anti-pop shaman Eartheater and over 50 other acts ranging from Jazz to Hardcore, EDM to Avante Gard and Hip-hop to Jam bands. More information and a full lineup can be found at http://www.madliberationfestival.com.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
August 2nd-4th: Mad Liberation Festival - Paradise Lakes Campground - Hammonton, NJ - with Screaming Females, WIKI, Eartheater, ohbliv., and 50+ up and coming acts
Sunny Gang: "We sat on this EP for well over a year and I was afraid that it would never see the light of day. We recorded this record around the time when everyone was settling into big boy jobs and the band was becoming less of a priority for everyone. I’m glad we finally decided to do something with these tracks. These 5 songs truly showcase Sunny Gang at our strongest.
In our previous releases I think we got lost in the whole hyper political mindset and it took a lot of the fun out of the band. At times, our angry messages really took away from the music. We finally came to the realization that we’re not Rage Against The Machine (although that would be tight haha). American Carnage is relatable to any 20-something who has been tossed into the real world, without a single idea of how to navigate it. This is the first release we have under our belts where I don’t have any qualms about the recording quality, performance and content. We’re all very proud of what we accomplished with American Carnage. -Chris Bacchus
