Son of the Sun: “The Happy Loss”

Buffalo, NY five-piece Son of the Sun specialize in mid-tempo guitar rock. Soulful vocals by Joseph Stocker and capable fretwork by Jeremy Franklin and Zak Ward elevate the band above the ordinary. The best songs on “The Happy Loss”, such as “Good Ole Days”, “The Other Side” and the pleasingly raucous “Keys (Last Call)”, create a sonic murk that conveys a mood of barely-contained claustrophobia, with echoes and reverb piling into dense droning clouds. Softer tunes like “Leopard Print”, “April Fools” and “Tell Me” sound more typical and less successful. This band hasn’t entirely worked out its identity yet, but with a few more strong songs, it could yet make the jump from memorable to vital.