"Hartford band Sunspots describes its sound as an amalgam of 'the rusting factories, odd urban centers and dairy farms of Connecticut.' We also would have accepted âcatchy pop-rock with a touch of soul.' - Eric Danton (Hartford Courant)

7 MP3 Songs in this album (34:16) !
Related styles: Rock: Americana, Rock: Garage Rock, Featuring Guitar

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If you pulled the rusting factories, odd urban centers, and dairy farms of Connecticut into a sound, youâd come close to a band like Sunspots. The group has been described as a combination of "catchy pop-rock with a touch of soul" (Eric Danton, Hartford Courant) and is especially known for their dynamic live performances, which range from richly-harmonized pop songs to extended fuzz singalongs. Maintaining a relentless performing schedule, the band is based in Hartford, CT, where they are ardent supporters of the city's emerging and tight-knit music community, while branching out to perform frequently across New England and southward on tours down the East Coast.

In July 2011, the group will release a self-titled full-length album, which was engineered over seven months by guitarist Matt Sargent. With a quality described as "Motown-meets-Abbey Road" (Karl Messerschmidt, HardwareCityArts) the album presents Sunspots hook-driven live material within an expansive soundworld, pulled from a variety of unusual recording techniques and recording spaces (ranging from of microphones scattered around our apartment to late-night reverb recordings in the hallways and stairwells of a borrowed Samuel Clemens-era Hartford mansion).

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Hartford Courant review by music critic Eric Danton

Hartford band Sunspots describes its sound as an amalgam of âthe rusting factories, odd urban centers and dairy farms of Connecticut.â We also would have accepted âcatchy pop-rock with a touch of soul.â

The band formed in 2009 when singer Kevin Scott recruited musicians (by knocking on lesson-room doors in the local music store where he worked) to play in what started as a country-folk act in the style of M. Ward or Dr. Dog. Sunspots has since veered in a poppier direction undercut with subtle experimentation, as documented on the bandâs new self-titled debut.

Recorded by guitarist Matt Sargent over seven months in sometimes unusual locations â the band touts a reverb effect captured âin the hallways and stairwells of a borrowedSamuel Clemens-era Hartford mansionâ â the album collects seven songs ranging in length from 2 minutes to more than 7 minutes.

âRainy Daysâ pairs chiming guitars with understated keyboards, and adds what sounds like a little horn riff before Sargentâs guitar solo brings the song home. Scott sings through an echo effect surrounded by layers of bold guitar on âWrong This Time,â while melancholy electric piano and somber bass drive closer âFade You Outâ into an epic guitar-soaked outro that builds for close to three minutes.

Scott sings in a smooth, polished voice thatâs occasionally too refined for rock ânâ roll (opener âNew Centuryâ would benefit from a touch of vocal grit), but he never lacks for expressive tone and heâs a natural at locking into close harmonies with Sargent and bassist Alfredo Grado. Charlie Dye rounds out the lineup with low-key versatility on the drums.

Together, theyâre off to a promising start on âSunspots,â a welcome addition to whatâs beginning to look like a long-overdue rock resurgence in Hartford. - Eric Danton

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"Sunspots played a set of rootsy rock songs with soulful pop hooks. Singer and keyboard player Kevin Scott has a clear, clean voice, and he gave a strong performance on opener âWrecking Ball,â an uptempo rocker. Scott sang with earnest feeling on âRainy Daysâ and harmonized with guitarist Matt Sargent over a swift, steady drum pattern on âNew Century.â The group plans to release its debut in July."
â Eric Danton, Hartford Courant

"On the night the String Theorie, Little Ugly, Sunspots and Heirlooms all shared the stage for the first time in front of nearly 200 fans, there was a sense that something may finally be starting to arrive in Hartford."
â Karl Messerschmidt, Hardware City Arts