Fuzzy Sun: Manchester band celebrating new chapter with release of latest EP Since The Dog Died

Manchester indie band Fuzzy Sun says it is embarking on a new chapter of its career with the release of its latest EP Since The Dog Died.

The group, which originally hails from Stockport, says it sees its latest six tracks hitting the shelves on 23 November as something of a “rebirth”.

The band spoke about the time for reflection during lockdown which has gone into the new songs.

Fuzzy Sun is also looking forward to a headline tour in December, which will be capped off with a hometown show in Manchester at Academy 2.

‘Head and shoulders over what we’ve put out before’

Fuzzy Sun, which is currently made up of lead singer and guitarist Kyle Ross, keyboardist, guitarist and backing vocalist George Fitzgibbon, lead guitarist Raffi Pani and bassist Lewis Jobson, say Since The Dog Died is the highlight of what they have produced as musicians so far.

However the group, which has been together for around four years, says the birth of the new songs actually happened in some quite dark places during the lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And that translated into the thought-provoking, philosophical and fairly downbeat subject of the latest tracks.

Front man Kyle said: “The stuff we are doing at the moment is head and shoulders over what we’ve put out before: musically, technically, content-wise. It feels like a bit of a rebirth.

“This is what we are most proud of and we’ve gone off and really found the place where we are enjoying writing and recording.

“With lockdown we’ve had a lot of time to mull over the newer stuff, which I think has probably been beneficial for us.

“It’s obviously a very self-reflective time and I personally had quite a dark time struggling with my own mental health and that fed into me needing that creative release.”

Kyle highlighted a couple of ways in which Since The Dog Died has pushed the band forward, with the EP showcasing the group’s mixture of rock, pop and electronica combined with a heavily cinematic, soundscape feel.

He said: “The song we’re pushing at the moment, China Pearl, is probably the most aggressive on the EP.

“The whole EP has a clear sense of fear, of feeling like you don’t necessarily belong, dealing with identity crisis, dealing with feelings of depression too.

“It’s about being on the periphery, not feeling involved in societal terms.

“There are a few lines in China Pearl which refers to Baudrillard, who wrote about hyper-reality and the loss of meaning in the world.

“Collectively our favourite song on the EP is Koln, which hasn’t been released yet.

“It doesn’t have a chorus, over time different keys and guitar parts come in until you realise it has kicked off, just not in a very obvious way, and gone on a journey to a completely different place.

“It was nice to approach a song in a different way to verse, chorus, verse, chorus, then a bridge, a solo and a double chorus. We put it together in a more interesting fashion.”

The EP takes its name from a suggestion by bassist Lewis, who had previously lost a pet, and has on its front cover a beautiful artwork by Kyle’s dad Kenneth Ross of a balloon dog made from mirrored glass.

Getting back out on the road

China Pearl is the third single Fuzzy Sun have released from the EP, following on from Fake It and Morning Light.

At the same time the musicians are going through their back catalogue to put together a set list for their December tour, which starts in Liverpool and finishes in Manchester.

Tickets are already on sale and Kyle says they cannot wait to be back on stage and are particularly thrilled about playing their home city once more.

He said: “Getting on the road and playing shows is the number one thing you get to do as a band.

“Getting back out in front of people who have specifically come to see us will be amazing.

“The hometown show in Manchester is going to be unreal. The last one we did was crazy, one of my favourite nights. Every Manchester show we’ve done has been electric and it will just top off the tour very nicely.

“When you speak to other bands they always seem to say they love playing Manchester. We’re from here so love playing here, but it’s nice to know that your hometown has that sort of association.”