Following up from their recent 70s glam inspired garage rock single “Made To Love,” which saw Sunfruits reach new heights and garner support from The Guardian, Triple J, Tone Deaf and more, the Melbourne-based psychedelic pop band are back with their new track, “Believe It All.” Engineered by Theo Carbo, produced by Gene Argiro, and mixed / mastered by John Lee at Phaedra Studios (The Murlocs, Bananagun), this track puts Sunfruits’ drummer Gene Argiro in the spotlight, on lead vocals for the first time. With its anthemic vocals and sonic textures similar to The Flaming Lips and Pond, “Believe It All” showcases Sunfruits’ psychedelic pop edge at its best.
Written by the band’s drummer and producer Gene Argiro, the 4-minute track is about finding your inner child and rising above self doubt. It sees Sunfruits take their creative vision and song-writing to a whole new level, featuring layers of synthesisers and keys, fuzzed out guitars, thumping bass groove and reverberating drums. The track’s euphoric chorus is a highlight with multi-tracked vocals and a catchy guitar riff that lifts the song into new territory.
Accompanying the new track is a music video of equally euphoric proportions. Directed by Jack Ralph and Gene Argiro and shot by LP Productions, the music video features Melbourne / Naarm celebrity/Dolerave artist Our Carlson. The video follows Carlson on a journey of introspection. Interacting with different people on the street, he promotes an upcoming show whilst struggling with his own self doubt. The video features cameos from Sunfruits as different characters, including the backing band, as they see Carlson fulfil his live performance dream and become the star he was born to be — literally.
“For the video, we wanted to create a concept that ties into the meaning of the song from the perspective of a burnt out ‘Rockstar’ (played by Our Carlson) who is trying to relive his glory days by performing his new single,” says Gene Argiro. “In his journey, he meets his new young backing band (played by Sunfruits) to whom he teaches these young musicians how to be a rockstar just like he was when he was young.”
About writing the track, Gene says: “I wrote this track after a discussion with Winnie (McQuinn) about how fun it would be to lean into more of a pop vibe for a Sunfruits track. That night I played around with the chord progression and jammed out a bassline in my room, back when I lived in my parents place. I ended up staying up until around 4am trying to finish the demo. I remember my dad the next morning complaining that he could hear me yelling the chorus for hours trying to get a good take.”
The performance and recording of “Believe It All” saw everyone in the band shifting to different instruments, with lead singer and guitarist Winter McQuinn jumping behind the drum kit and the whole band multi-tracking vocals to achieve their desired anthemic sound. It was a fun and exciting process for the band as Gene explains; “myself and Winnie swapped roles in this song, with me taking on the lead guitar and vocals whilst Winnie jumped behind the drums, driving the song with his expert feel and groove. This was a super fun moment of the recording process, watching Winnie in his element behind the kit. Another special moment was when we realised just how many vocal tracks we were recording. We tripled all my takes and then had to do the same with Evie, Elena and Imogen’s takes to get that anthem feeling in the chorus’ and then the same process with the harmonies. Whilst this felt grueling at the time, we all had to laugh about it and it did give the track a big sound.
“Believe It All” by Sunfruits is out now on all digital platforms via Third Eye Stimuli Records and Earth Libraries (USA/Canada).
Sunfruits have been making waves around Melbourne and the Australian music scene for the past 3 years with their environmentally conscious and politically aware lyricism, paired with their contemporary psychedelic pop sound. The bands most recent 2022 release “Made To Love” saw them enter a new era and provided listeners with a nostalgia driven track leading the band into a glam rock direction. This new track and music video saw praise from The Guardian, listing it in their Best New Music for September and was supported across Triple J, RRR, PBS, Tone Deaf, Pilerats, Austin Town Hall, MTV, Rage, and more, and was backed up with a sold out single launch show at The Curtin in Naarm / Melbourne.
Their 2021 release, Certified Remixes, saw the band collaborate with Traffik Island, Hachiku, and Candy on three remixes of previously released tracks “Above The Clouds,” “Mushroom Kingdom,” and “Whatever You Want.” Releasing two 7”s and an EP during their time working with Third Eye Stimuli Records and recently Flightless Records (Distro), these releases all received high praise from Triple J, Clash Magazine, Beat Magazine, Tone Deaf, New Commute, and more.
Sunfruits have collaborated with brands including Bonsoy on their 2020 release double single Mushroom Kingdom / Bonsoy as well as Green Music Australia on their acclaimed 2020 debut EP Certified Organic. These releases saw the talented live group appear at festivals including NYE On The Hill, Ok Motels, Euroa Music Festival, Brunswick Music Festival and supporting acts including Mildlife, Nice Biscuit, Gabriella Cohen, Good Morning, and RVG, as well as multiple headline tours of the east coast of Australia.
Following their most recent release “Made To Love,” which set a new bar of musical maturity for the band, “Believe It All” sees the band continue to showcase a powerful and impressive new sonic direction as they prove that they are one of the country’s most exciting new acts.
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