Sonicflyer - Sun In My Pocket

Xtra Mile Records

It's not often that a Russian band comes across my desk. So I was a little surprised to find out that Xtra Mile recording artists, Sonicflyer hail from a remote town in southern Siberia. I was even more surprised by how great the band's bewitching new Sun In My Pocket EP is! Comprised of brother/sister duo Yulia (vocals and guitar) and Dima (drums) and rounded out by Chris and Rob on guitar and bass respectively, Sonicflyer wear their sunny Britpop and shoegaze influences on their sleeves. Sheets of reverb-heavy guitars swirl around Yulia's candied vocals effortlessly. Infectious choruses are found around every corner. Echoes of Lush and Echobelly ring out on treats like "Tonight" and the title track with their breezy harmonies and dream-like atmospherics.

The band cites Oasis' Noel Gallagher as an early songwriting influence and on "Hundred Reasons" it isn't hard to find some of his straight-forward pop leanings shining through on their arrangement of the song. Living out a dream, they even got to open for him at a Moscow show last year! Yulia definitely is the combo's lethal weapon here. She's the kind of singer bands like this dream of. Her assured yet honeyed approach makes it hard to believe that she's only been fronting this band for a few years. These are kinds of songs tailor-made for long summer drives. They are all at once, thrilling, bittersweet, and always very catchy. With the right publicity push from their label, it wouldn't be out of the question to see this band on the popularity level of someone like Tegan & Sara or Eisley. They certainly have the material and style to warrant it.

By Carlos Ramirez