The Sundays

The Sundays made an immediate splash in the British pop scene with the release of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic in 1990. Though initially likened to Cocteau Twins or Everything But The Girl, the band resisted such labels, endearing audiences with the one-two kiss of Harriet Wheeler’s beautiful voice and David Gavurin’s Smiths-ian acoustic melodies.

Songs such as the jubilant, bouncing pop of “Hideous Towns” and the heart-melting hit “Here’s Where The Story Ends,” helped attract a sizeable following in the U.S. Much awaited follow-up Blind arrived in 1992 and did little to tinker with the recipe. “Love” was a U.S. hit, and a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” wound up in a television commercial.

After successful tours in Europe and America, the Sundays virtually disappeared and little-to-no information was circulated about the group’s future, or lack thereof.

After a five-year absence that saw the Cranberries ride the band’s formula straight to the bank, the Sundays resurfaced in the summer of 1997 with Static And Silence. Static, marked by the haunting “Folk Song” and the absolutely sensational “Shy,” balanced the trademark pop sensibilities of the first two records with a mature narrative voice informed by years out of the spotlight (Wheeler and Gavurin had a child together during the long break and built a home studio, where Static was recorded).

A short U.S. tour that Fall drew sell-out crowds, but the band quickly faded into the background again upon its completion.

Album reviews

Static And Silence
DGC (1997)
Static And Silence came almost five years since the U.K.-based Sundays released Blind, the second album full of lovesick, acoustic ballads penned by guitarist David Gavurin and sung ethereally by vocalist Harriet Wheeler.

Blind
DGC (1992)
A little more uneven than its predecessor but by and large does little to tinker with the formula.

Reading, Writing And Arithmetic (Recommended)
DGC (1990)
Harriet Wheeler wants you to put your head close to the stereo speakers so you can feel the warmth of her quiet English voice.