Aiming to dissect the cross section between the creative process and the industry side, Cross Section is an exciting interview series hosted by Shannon Coulomb.

Auckland two-piece The Sun Gods combine the tight, hard-hitting rhythm of Jaime Porteous with Konrad Kurta’s anvil-heavy guitar tones and vocals ranging from incisive staccato to broad, soaring melodies. Combining punk energy with metal heaviness, their unique sound and original lyrics are immediate and distinct. Born from a fifteen-year-long musical friendship that endured even during extended OEs, The Sun Gods quietly self-released two EPs in 2015 and 2017 while Konrad and James lived in separate countries. Both now back in New Zealand, The Sun Gods entered Roundhead Studios in early 2022 with Scott Seabright (Shihad, Alien Weaponry) emerging with an EP’s worth of material after two electric days.

Media:

Oh Mary Mary (Official Music Video)

Official Website

Bandcamp

What does your creative process look like?

Konrad - There’s only two of us, so we like to write fast. While some things are harder with just two, writing songs isn’t one of them. 25% of our ideas happen ahead of time. I’ll have a riff or an idea in mind, and because we just get each other musically, James usually locks in straight away. Occasionally James will have a drum beat in mind, and I’ll try and come up with something that fits. But most of our ideas we’ll just jam. When we find something that clicks, we’ll work on it in the room ‘til we have three movements in place - something that sounds like a verse, chorus, and a something-else. We’ll record it using voice memos on iPhone, then move on (side note - place the mic properly to get a decent mix of instruments, and the iPhone mic sounds amazing!). I (Konrad) will then write some rough lyrics based on a theme and record them over the top using the in-built iPhone mic (regards to Steve Lacy). Dave from Villainy encouraged us to do it this way (i.e. record rough sketches and get your ideas down without getting stuck on them) and it’s definitely a great way to turn ideas into songs without getting hung up on details that don’t matter…pick what you like, park what’s not working, and move on!

If we really like the song (or our producer does in some cases!), I’ll programme the drums in Logic, put guitars and vocals over the top using the in-built amps sim and an SM58, and see how we feel about it from there. In most cases, the Logic demo sounds 80% like the studio version. For our current recordings, the structure and tempo hasn’t changed, so we’ve literally copied over the guitars and vocals to give James some guide tracks, and re-recorded guitars and vocals from there.

Do you apply the same creative processes to other aspects of the Music Industry, for example, in your approach to marketing yourself?

James - Absolutely. We’re both the type of people who thrive with a blank piece of paper in front of us. When it comes to music videos, we usually get together, swap ideas, pick out all the good ideas and try storyboard something together. It’s a very similar situation to jamming and writing songs. We’re still very much learning other ways to market ourselves. Time is the biggest enemy for us - it’s where a few more band members would come in handy. It’s a challenge to fit it in with work, kids, and playing/writing the music we’d be marketing.

Is your creative process something you feel to have locked down or does it generally change on a song by song/release by release basis?

James - Every release to date has had a different process so far. Our first EP happened by complete chance. I found a CD with a bunch of demos we had recorded a few years earlier in a previous band we had played in before Konrad moved to South Korea and myself to London. I asked Konrad if he’d be interested in recording the tracks and two months later, we were in a studio in Melbourne. Our second EP happened quite differently. We had one jam session, wrote two songs then I headed off abroad again. Konrad wrote another three tracks and would send me the demo versions until we were both happy then once again we were in Melbourne recording. Our latest offering Light of Day finally found us in the same city in early 2021. We jammed and jammed over and over, wrote about 25 songs until we had enough material we were reasonably happy with to hit the studio. Present day we once again find ourselves in a different scenario. We’re currently writing and recording our debut album with producer Nathan Sowter. We take demos to Nate and get his perspective on what works, what has potential, where we can take the song. We wanted someone brutally honest, to really take us out of our comfort zone which he has done only two tracks in. We sent him a dozen demos; he picked tracks eleven and twelve on the priority list. Needless to say, we can’t wait to release those tracks.

What qualities do you appreciate the most in other musicians?

Konrad - I’m always looking for musicians to express themselves in a way that’s sincere, authentic, and original. I’m not a fan of cliches or trying to sound like someone else. Obviously, I’m impressed with technical ability, but mainly I just want to connect. I appreciate anyone who pulls me into their little world for a minute or two!

James - I couldn’t agree more with Konrad. Authenticity and sincerity are vital in my opinion. There’s no better feeling than hearing a lyric you can relate to. And honesty. I think if you’re doing something purely for shock value most people will see it as exactly that.

If you could collaborate with another NZ musician/band, who would it be?

Konrad - Writing music just with the two of us keeps us plenty busy - but we’re open to collabs! Getting someone interesting to do guest vocals/guest parts would be fun, though it would also be cool to mash genres.

James - Six60. I want to know how to make music history.

How do you keep an eye to the future in regards to your work and work ethic? Do you generally focus on just the project at hand or are you considering how it fits into a larger plan?

Konrad - We have half an eye on the future, but it’s often dependent upon where we’re currently at. The ‘larger plan’ really comes down to boring logistics. Do we have the time, money to do something bigger? Are we stable enough in other areas of our lives to feel like we can give the ‘larger plan’ the dedication required to pull it off? COVID put the ‘larger plan’ on hold, and we’re only really starting to be secure enough in other areas of our lives to put it into action now.

Where have you had the most success in terms of marketing to the Aotearoa audience? If applicable, has this translated well to an international market?

Konrad - Frankly, paid Facebook content has worked best for us within the NZ market. We’ve got a better handle on distribution now, plus some more ideas for how to make Instagram work better for us, so we’ll try that out for our upcoming releases. We’ve not even thought about international audiences until now, but that might change in coming months!

There are so many resources available to musicians in Aotearoa, such as Muzic.NZ, Music Managers Forum Aotearoa and APRA/AMCOS. Have any of these (or other) NZ resources played a significant role in your journey so far?

Konrad - Some of the advice on APRA/AMCOS has been good. We’re still very much a new band and we’re working out how and when to use the resources available.

Has having access to these resources led to any break-through moments for you, particularly in regards to crafting a successful narrative in your online presence?

James - Muzic.NZ has been great, we got our first live review a couple of months ago when we opened for Coridian's album release party along with some great live performance shots. More broadly speaking, having Muzic.NZ willing to show up and capture what’s happening at live shows is really valuable. Live music is just bloody great fun to play and attend.

Are there any resources that you would recommend to NZ musicians who are coming to terms with the business side of the craft?

Konrad - Any resources? Yes, money. But other than that, people who’ve done what you want to do are the best resources you’ll find. At least in the genre we’re in (rock music, broadly) most of the bands and musicians we’ve talked to have been really generous with their time and advice when we’ve taken the time to ask. Figure out who has the insight you seek, and talk to them!

James - Network with as many local bands as possible, swap experiences, engage with as many creative minds as possible be it photographers, videographers, producers, Merch distributors and promoters but most importantly focus on writing music first, the rest comes second.

*****

Shannon Coulomb is the co-songwriter, guitarist and producer for Auckland Based band Impostor Syndrome. He also plays bass for Swerve City and is currently the Head of Music at Birkenhead College, Auckland, as well as a tutor for Music Education at AUT University.

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