Whether you are cruising with the top down on a warm Spring afternoon, going fishing with your pals, or just heading downtown for the ol’ dongo durango, Sun Club’s debut full-length album should be at the top of your playlist. After rave reviews of their first EP, Dad Claps at the Mom Prom, Sun Club kept the momentum going and the tunes grooving with their first long player in 2015.  From humble, blue collar beginnings playing cheap, sometimes free, shows in their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, Sun Club quickly caught the attention of many.  With the release of The Dongo Durango, Sun Club found themselves playing in front of Cheryl Waters in the KEXP studio and even touring Europe.  So, what makes Sun Club and their first and only album so special? Well, as someone who has seen the spectacle which is Sun Club live, I’m about to tell you.

With raw and approachable vocals, and lyrics so unintelligible they qualify as Nobel-laureate quality poetry, The Dongo Durango is a masterpiece.  With songs such as Cheeba Swiftkick, Carnival Dough, Worm City, and Language Juice, the album’s sound is a mix of art punk, mellow garage, and tamed avant punk.  And, what’s that? You are trying to determine if you’re hearing two sets of drums? Well, in this case, believe your ears! The iconic Sun Club sound is made in part by a second set of tom-toms played by the keyboardist with a tambourine (instead of drumsticks).  The cherry on top of this scrumptious milkshake of an album is how nearly every song transitions seamlessly into one another. The best example being Dress Like Mothers into Tropicoller Lease. Thus, as with all albums, The Dongo Durango is best listened to on cassette tape, with no CD micropauses or corporate, money-grabbing Spotify advertisements in between songs.

Although Sun Club has now taken an indefinite hiatus, we bid them a warm farewell and appreciate the fact that they knew when to stop… or as they say in the sixth song off the album:

Our lives aren't so fragileThey are tangibleMy dreams are so real thatI can smell themSweet taste of greed

Written by: Paul Burke