Cut The Master

The '60s-inspired folk-pop group Sundowners utilize hazy guitars, vocal harmonies, and motorik drumming to create their own brand of psychedelia. Lead vocalists Niamh Rowe and Fiona Skelly met in the mid-2010s, when they bonded over their love of '60s psychedelic bands such as the Byrds, Fairport Convention, and Fleetwood Mac. They quickly started making music together, mainly by strengthening their vocal harmonies and playing acoustic guitar. Some years later, Fiona's brother Alfie Skelly (guitar) was searching for a vocalist to join the band he was starting; naturally, he auditioned Fiona and Niamh, who were immediately drafted full-time. The trio was quickly joined by Tim Cunningham (bass, backing vocals) and Jim Sharrock (drums) to form the full Sundowners lineup. Sundowners initially took their cues from '50s-era Phil Spector, with more of an acoustic sound, but as they began to play the live circuit in Liverpool -- their hometown -- they moved to electric guitars and the more heavily '60s psych pop sound that they would become known for. By 2015, Sundowners had released their eponymous debut album, which was recorded at Parr Street Studios and produced with the help of Fiona and Alfie's brother James Skelly (the Coral); the album saw release through the Skelly family label Skeleton Key Records. The two years that followed featured touring across the U.K., including an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival and a number of shows to raise awareness of potential fracking plans in the Merseyside area. In 2016, they returned to the studio with James Skelly again at the helm to record their sophomore album, Cut the Master, which added more modern influences like Radiohead and Jane Weaver to their sound. The record was released in early 2017 by Skeleton Key.