The award-winning Canadian four-piece band Stereo Sunrise is coming back with a haunting single, “Plains on Fire.” The track tackles deception and its negative fallout with spine-tingling lyrics and entrancing riffs dubbed with cold, chilly drums, portraying a vivid, hard-to-forget scene in the opening. As the song progress, it gradually unravels its rich, revealing storytelling. The contrast between the chorus and the verse is undoubtedly drastic. One could argue that the mood and atmosphere have completely flipped from a hard, cold to a hauntingly warm exploration. Yet, the subtle build-up sparks honesty and authenticity.

There’s a strikingly haunting quality to “Plains on Fire.” From the harmonious background vocals in the chorus to the sense of bizarreness in the soundscape, the track has something that hooks you tightly. In the midst of all that, there’s an undying fire in their sound: roof-lifting, nostalgic, and infectious.

In our interview below, we chat with Stereo Sunrise on their alternative rock influences and how their new single came together.

Punk Head: Absolutely love the vibe of “Plains on Fire.” Who are some of your influences?

Stereo Sunrise: Our sound is definitely rooted in 90s’ alternative rock nostalgia, with bands like Blind Melon, The Gandharvas, Treble Charger, The Watchmen, and Dinosaur Jr. Add in a few classic rock influences, like The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, and Blue Rodeo. Finally, garnish with a bit of Randy Rhodes and Black Sabbath. Oh yeah, and of course, The Replacements.

PH: What are you most proud about this track?

SS: This track really transformed from the original idea. Piero came up with the riff, which is in like 9/8 time or something strange and then we started adding our parts. It’s fun to get out of your comfort zone and get a little weird. We worked with Siegfried Meier to get it recorded and we’re really happy with how the production turned out. We recorded so many ideas for backing vocals and he somehow fit most of them into the song. Overall, the song sounds pretty different and we had a lot of fun writing it!

PH: Can you tell us more about the band?

SS: Back in 2010, Piero (lead guitar) placed a classified ad looking for a singer. Justin answered that ad. Arih was learning to play bass guitar for another project when he ran into Justin at a bookstore (holding a Learn to Play Bass Guitar book). We recorded and released three EP’s over the years, the first two with Tommy Metcalfe (Dammit Goldie, The Advancing Low-Lives) on drums. After Tommy went back to school, Mark joined the band to track our third EP. We’ve been a band this way for 5 years now.

As a band, we love the writing process. Just getting together and seeing what we can come up with by mixing our musical styles and influences. Piero is a 70s’ child, whose past project, Marble Weed, was a fantastic Niagara-based alt rock band in the 90s’ which landed a number of contracts, even one with FRE Records/EMI, but none of them panned out. Justin had been quietly writing songs in his basement and around the campfire for many years before deciding to join a band. Arih is a multi-instrumentalist and solo musician under Arih SK; plays bass in Pablo Paddy and Powerwalk, and created a popular online music show shot in his living room, called Band on a Couch. Mark has a place out in the country where we can be loud. He also drums for several bands, including Knife the Wolf, Charles J. Hunk & the Trainwreck, and Powerwalk.

PH: Who are you listening to at the moment?

SS: Writers have to read and songwriters have to listen. Here’s a few of our current selections:

Justin: Jo Bel, Phoebe Bridgers, Damien Jurado, Andrew Bird

Piero: Cardigans, Beatles, Sam Roberts

Arih: Nick Faye, Dawes, Altameda, Jeffrey Lewis

Mark: Megan Nash, New Order, Talking Heads, Dinosaur Jr.

PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?

SS: Music isn’t for making money. Music is for making something out of nothing. Pulling a new thing out of non-existence. And it’s about connecting with people. Every year we head up north to 4 Mile Lake to play a show on our friend’s dock. All the boats on the lake come out and it’s always a good time. You have to enjoy these moments.