- Toys The Sunny Smiles Three
The Sunny Smiles Three are set to drop their new single titled ‘Toys’ on May 26th, as the first single from their upcoming album, releasing soon.
With bits of the past and reminiscence of better musical times, this is a track that beckons to what the world of music is becoming and counterbalances those lofty and harsh styles to become something for the rest of us. Those of us who want a little true music with a passion and earnestness not found in today’s world.
‘Toys’ is a wall of sound that cascades simply yet poetically in a signature style that can’t be mistaken. Bits of old school radio with new kid cool make up a monster hook that creeps up on you like that drunk uncle at family reunions who taught you all the swear words. That cool and that mysterious, filled with wonder.
About The Sunny Smiles Three
Possibly the world’s leading alt-indie acoustic psych-folk trio singing about life, love, loss, death, the meaning of life, and various ‘weird stuff’, The Sunny Smiles Three are drums, bass, and acoustic guitar recorded mainly live in the studio with occasional splattered bits of assorted ‘other stuff’ with singing on top. And occasionally surrounded by a train set.
The Sunny Smiles Three are “Vaguely acoustic music for the vaguely thinking person”. Members: John Parkes (singing, acoustic and electric guitar, misc. sounds), fronted several groups much beloved by night-time Radio One DJs (and more latterly 6 Music), including the late, legendary John Peel, who played something from every record John made over 14 years. Bands include indie guitar heroes The Chorus, Greenhouse, Fuzzbird, The Sinister Cleaners, and Whole Sky Monitor.
Alaric Lewis(bass guitar)–played bass guitar for various bands including Breaking The Illusion and more recently, currently the Cyanide Pills and Suzy Blu, though he is mostly off on tour with various bands working as a backline technician.
Simon Smith(drums and percussion) –best known as the drummer in The Wedding Present for their ‘major label years’ as well as being in THE Sinister Cleaner, the first line-up of the Ukrainians, followed by Cha Cha Cohen and some playing with Beachbuggy, Groop Dogbill and others. Simon is also mostly off on tour, in his case working as a tour manager.
The band formed (in Leeds, UK) around 2018, though due to conflicting schedules only get to meet up for a few days here and there. The name is from the 1960s / 1970s fundraising scheme ‘Sunny Smiles’ whereby small black and white pictures of orphaned children were torn out of a booklet and sold by school children to other school children for money to be given to charity. Got that?
Recorded by Neil Ferguson (renowned alt-folk producer and chief engineer/member of Chumbawamba), the band released a 4-track EP ‘Loveland’ in 2019, the first album ‘Fireman Spaceman Mermaid’ followed in 2020. Since then, several short recording sessions have been possible, and 2025 finally brings the release of 2 singles and the ‘Some Everyday Hazards’ album. This has been recorded by Will Jackson, known for recording (among many others) The Kaiser Chiefs, Pigeon Detectives, The Music, Embrace, and, er, The Smurfs.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/thesunnysmilesthree/
https://thesunnysmilesthree.bandcamp.com/