“I’m not in possession of a Smith & Wesson
Or I’d decorate the ceiling
The Sistine of my feelings”
These bold lyrics from “Blossom” close out the deluxe version of Sunday (1994)’s self-titled debut EP. The band doesn’t shy away from such forwardness. Through their music, rising indie band Sunday (1994) finds humor and beauty in moments of suffering.
Songwriting duo and romantic partners Paige Turner and Lee Newell are two of the three founding members of Sunday (1994). Both are experienced in writing and producing music, with Turner having released songs as Xylo and Newell with new-age Britpop group Viva Brother. The COVID-19 lockdown inspired them to finally collaborate with each other, and, together with an anonymous drummer only referred to as “X,” Sunday (1994) began releasing music officially in early 2024 as they quickly gained traction on TikTok.
Newell is originally from England and Turner from California, where the band is now based. Newell credits his British upbringing with Sunday (1994)’s unique sense of dark humor imbued in their clever lyrics: “I feel like, being English, I tackle difficult things with humor. We try to make it conversational.” Despite flippant lyrical tones wrapped in lush guitar reverb reminiscent of Cigarettes After Sex, Turner and Newell draw inspiration from their own experiences with depression, heartbreak and complicated feelings toward religion.
Take “Stained Glass Window,” an up-tempo song steeped in religious imagery. Love becomes its own sort of religion as Turner sings dreamily about a relationship discouraged by the church: “The preachers say that I’ll go to hell/But, I don’t want anybody else.” Another bonus track, “Softly,” paints a portrait of a lover unable to walk away from their partner who cycles in and out of their life. Over guitar riffs that share striking similarities to The Smiths, Turner’s delicate voice juxtaposes with macabre imagery of her “neck to the knife” and “falling from the high rise.” Sunday (1994)’s view of love is reminiscent of Lana del Rey’s, but their work’s haunting visions are wholly unique.
Though the aesthetic of Sunday (1994) feels ripped from the past, Turner and Newell write sardonically about modern life. “Tired Boy” was the first single the band ever released, and the lyrics make wry reference to “video games” that “are extremely violent,” though the narrator of the song admittedly is too taken by their lover to “mind it.” Similar themes of modern malaise are sprinkled throughout “TV Car Chase,” a comparably mid-tempo bonus track about Turner’s experience with starting antidepressants. The imagery grimly references Sylvia Plath’s suicide, but lyrics relating to watching the news on television, mindless scrolling, and nuclear war make it a timely ballad of antipathy in an age of overstimulation.
Following the success of their debut self-titled EP and its deluxe re-release, Sunday (1994) is currently rolling out its second EP, “Devotion.” So far, they’ve released two singles off of the new EP, “Doomsday” and “Rain,” and have just departed for their debut US and UK tour. Despite its cheerful melody, “Doomsday” uses funerary iconography to foreshadow the end of a relationship; the band has appropriately been promoting the single with cryptic posts on Instagram, captioned with ominous phrases like “Doomsday shall befall us.” Their latest release, “Rain,” is another slow-tempo, atmospheric track about devotion and unconventional love, complete with echoing guitars and a dream-pop textured soundscape. Be sure to check out the music videos Sunday (1994) has released so far: All are shot on gorgeously grainy film and hammer home the band’s vintage vibe.
Don’t miss the release of Sunday (1994)’s sophomore EP, “Devotion,” on May 9. Tickets are still available for their May 10 show at the Atlantis right here in Washington, D.C., and they’ll be returning to the DMV in the fall for a performance at All Things Go. You’ll want to say you’ve been a Sunday (1994) fan from the beginning.