Sunstinger – Spare Me The Rapture EP (2026)
The final sentence in our review of Sunstinger’s single, ‘Spare Me The Rapture’, mentions the promise of an upcoming EP – here it is! Released today, the UK-based quintet draw together each individual’s seasoned experiences, influences and styles bound in an intimate, intense, emotionally and melodically vulnerable 23 minutes of music. Moving from ethereal soundscapes and lingering shoegaze to heavier elements of hard rock, Spare Me The Rapture – the EP, not the stand-alone single – shows a shift from older albums Worthless and Beyond The Frame. There is a movement from one tone and attitude to another, almost an evolution or turning of the page when it comes to Sunstinger’s sound.
One aspect I feel is strongly evident in Spare Me The Rapture is the change in line-up; the recent addition of drummer Colm Boyle to the original foursome: Taylor Wright (vocals and guitar), David McCullock (guitar), Scott Gourlay (guitar), and Bill Anderson (bass). The turning of a page creatively and boldly expressed as the distinctive Sunstinger’s style picks up with a harder, heavier, greater degree of ferocity. Not a simple listening experience, but an immersive melodic sensation.
Beginning with ‘Zerosum’, Sunstinger open the door to a wistful, hazy, heavily perfumed sonic forest; fog lying atop the approaching lake, like those moments in epic films where you have to cross the abyss to reach the other side. The fuzzy guitars welcome you, as the bass and drums keep pace and it’s comfortable, but the mist of contentment quickly dissipates as Boyle’s drums begin to crash, adding a heavier, harder slice to the melody.
‘Spare Me The Rapture’ is next. ‘Zerosum’ ended with a bang, and the title track keeps the momentum in a sweep of hard rock. The step across the sonic moor is no longer steady. You find yourself running fast, pushed with a fearful tread of hammering drums and guitars. For me, it’s simultaneously a soothing force and a panicked chaos. ‘Needrr’ continues the treacherous path, and it’s as if imps are darting about – the drums taking centre stage with even greater crashes.
‘I Think I Half Remember’ is a leap from insanity to fuzzy reality, or at least a guiding path with shoegaze fuzz calming the water; then ‘Barely There’ hits. It opens as an eye in the storm, but by the end you’ve fallen victim to those imps once again. The EP ends with ‘Always Green’, which is particularly intriguing as the last minute or so is spoken word. Sunstinger speaks to you at the end of the sonic river; the final words “provide, love” end Spare Me The Rage with a pensive, poignant and oddly satisfying calm.
Find out more about Sunstinger on their Facebook, X, Instagram, Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Old Crows Promotions
