Birmingham, UK band, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam have released a new video for the title-track of their current release Blackout Cowboy, available via By the Time it gets Dark records on 12″ Vinyl/CD & Download The band, which is comprised of Andrew Bullock, Ralph Morton, Pete Dixon, and David Bentall have been taking a cue from from Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) and Will Toledo (Carseat Headrest), writing 100+ songs, in a short time,  if it wasn’t for the day jobs, there would probably be another couple of albums worth of material. For  Blackout Cowboy, boiled it down to eight tracks, leading with the the trippy video inspired by the sounds of The Buzzcocks, early Pavement, and yes GBV.

Early lo-fi offerings in the form the band’s two EPs, a self-titled album, and a Halloween single secured the then three-piece a regular spot on the Birmingham music scene, as well as frequent invites to towns and cities up and down the country. A couple of increases in headcount (most recently Junior Laidley on keyboards and percussion) and the purple patch writing sessions around “Blackout Cowboy” have allowed the band to move away from the lo-fi aesthetic they once adhered to, and are now able to work the same unique approach to songwriting into an ever expanding range of hooks, riffs and drones that fill any room they play.

Dark lyrical matter permeates throughout the record, as does black humour and the band’s gift for melody. From the power-pop rush of opener “Running From A Ghost”, through to the Malkmus-esque closer of “Mind Control”, there’s both variety and an almost endless slew of good ideas throughout. From the thick guitar tone that brings “All The Way Over The Edge” to life, to the melodic invention across “Blackout Cowboy” and “Meatloaf To The Camera”, there’s no let up across the record. And on “Mrs JR Hartley” the band even channel the neurotic energy of those early Weezer songs, in contrast to that most English of references in the song title.

Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam’s Andy Bullock on “Blackout Cowboy:”

The specific theme around the single was one of a self-imposed toughness brought about by excessive drinking and partying hard. A sort of modern day, city cowboy , if you like. The story of Blackout Cowboy is essentially a mix of crazy nights spent drinking that got way out of control. One of those days where a spontaneous gathering of friends in the early afternoon turns into rolling down a hill outside a pub/gig venue covered in mud. Then being put in a taxi and waking up full of bruises with no recollection from the previous night. I wanted the track to start upbeat and optimistic then drop to an eerie bridge midway through, representing a bit of fear, anxiety and apprehension until a more chaotic abrasive ending. The video was animated by our friend Thomas Wagstaff then additional footage and remixing added by Cool Your Jets.