Halifax-based five-piece indie-rockers Sundae Girl have thrown themselves into the current trend of reimagining the ’80s, ten checkerboard Vans first. Sonically, they’re name-dropping inspirations like The Smiths, Blondie and their ideological successors, The Strokes, but their aesthetic screams Vaporwave.
Despite the band’s playful, retro leanings, “Faces,” the latest single off of their debut EP, Just For Fun, is a colourful trip through self-doubt.
“‘Faces’ is about an uncontrollable spiral into self-doubt and questioning your worth,” says Sundae Girl’s vocalist Laura Kempton. “That spiralling goes so far into a personal hell, that past mistakes seep into dreams. Then you find yourself awaking at the cusp of the dream, and the cycle continues.
“The song is about struggling to find the bright side. It’s about coming to terms with the personal demons that we all fight within our minds, and a constant striving to be kind to yourself.”
With a flurry of wardrobe changes, whether that’s representing Imposter Syndrome or just run of the mill fashion anxiety that eventually settles on kimono/Ramones t-shirt combo, director Jeff Miller beautifully captures these inner battles in a wash of neon pink fog. While the anxiety expressed in the video seems only superficial, it’s easy to note that faking it, whether you’re making it or not, is a coping skill that gets drilled into most of us at an early age… the age you were when neon windbreakers were actually cool.
“Faces” appears on Sundae Girl’s new EP, Just For Fun, an album title that Kempton describes as a mantra, “It’s an approach to handling the pressures of life and finding ways to look on the bright side.” Recorded at David Scholten’s Spaces Between studio in Halifax, Just For Fun was produced by Adam Warren (Glory Glory), with the EP’s finishing touches being added by Brooklyn-based engineer Justin Gerrish (Vampire Weekend, The Strokes, Weezer). Just For Fun was released on December 11, 2020.